Analysis of moth flame optimization optimized cascade proportional-integral-proportional-derivative controller with filter for automatic generation control system incorporating solar thermal power plant

In the fast developing electric power system network, ancillary services like automatic generation control (AGC) plays a vital and significant role to ensure good quality of power supply in the system. To distribute good quality of power, a hybrid AGC system along with an efficient and intelligent controller is compelled. So, in this article, a cascaded proportional-integral (PI)-proportional-derivative (PD) controller with filter (PI-PDF) is proposed as secondary controller for AGC system. A nature inspired optimization algorithm named as moth flame optimization (MFO) algorithm is employed for simultaneous optimization of controller gains. Initially, a two-area interconnected nonreheat thermal power system is investigated. Analysis revealed that MFO-tuned PI controller performs better than the different optimization techniques tuned PI controller for the same system and PI-PDF controller performs better than PI controller does. Then, the study is extended to a three-area interconnected hybrid system with proper generation rate constraint. Area-1 consists of solar thermal-thermal unit; area-2 consists of thermal-hydro unit and area-3 thermal-gas unit as generating sources. Performance of PI-PDF controller is compared with classical controllers such as PI, PID, PIDF, and PI-PD controller without filter. Result analysis divulges that MFO-tuned PI-PDF controller performs better than all other controllers considered in this article. Robustness of the PI-PDF controller is evaluated using parameter variations and random load variation.