Optimal Reconfiguration of Distributed Battery Networks Under Connectivity and Energy Constraints

Abstract

Networked battery systems arise in industrial automation, distributed energy applications, and multi-agent systems, where terminals consume energy locally and recharge only when connected to a source. Resource constraints often limit the number of simultaneous connections, requiring networks to be dynamically reconfigured to maintain system functionality. Managing such networks in dynamic environments is challenging, particularly when low-energy terminals must be prioritized for timely replenishment. This paper presents a battery-aware topology optimization algorithm that extends the GeoSteiner framework with a tailored Mixed-Integer Linear Program (MILP) formulation for Full Steiner Tree (FST) aggregation. The formulation minimizes network length while prioritizing low-battery terminals through a weighted objective subject to a global budget constraint, enabling partial network formation under realistic resource limits. An overlap-correction term is introduced that prevents double-counting when selected trees share terminals. To capture the network reconfiguration cost between time steps, a graph-distance metric penalizes frequent topology changes, resulting in 72.2% reduction compared to a baseline without penalty. Simulations on a 20-terminal network demonstrate battery levels are effectively managed as the lowest battery level improved from 2.7% to 68.6% over 30 iterations while maintaining the topology stability and budget utilization (92%). The framework offers a principled approach to designing energy-aware, adaptive connectivity in power-limited multi-agent systems.