Ant-Lion Optimizer-Based Load Frequency Controller for a Hybrid Power System with PV and Thermal Power Plant

Abstract The process of damping frequency fluctuations in power systems, known as load frequency control (LFC), is an important issue that directly affects the balance between production and consumption for maintaining the stable operation of an interconnected power system. LFC is more complex in multi-area interconnected power systems due to the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) panels. This study proposes to determine the proportional integral derivative (PID) controller parameters for LFC in a two-area reheat thermal power system, including the photovoltaic system, using ant-lion optimization (ALO). The two-area power system model, consisting of a thermal generator and a PV system, was modelled in MATLAB/SIMULINK. To analyse the effectiveness of the optimization method, the system behavior was examined by considering different case studies, such as the change in load demand and solar irradiation values. The simulation results were compared with the results of different heuristic algorithms, such as the firefly algorithm (FA), genetic algorithm (GA), and population extremal algorithm (PEO). The results revealed that the suggested ALO-PID controller provides about 60% improvement in overshoot/undershoot values and settling time compared to other heuristic optimization methods mentioned.