An ALO-Tuned 2DOF-PID Controller for Enhanced Frequency Regulation in Hybrid PV–Thermal Power Systems

This study investigates the optimization of a two-degree-of-freedom PID (2DOF-PID) controller using the Ant Lion Optimizer (ALO) for enhanced frequency regulation in a hybrid Photovoltaic (PV)–Reheat Thermal Power System under sudden load disturbances. To benchmark performance, conventional PID and PI controllers were also tested to assess their ability to minimize the frequency fluctuations and manage the inter-area power exchanges. Simulations were carried out in MATLAB/Simulink using a dual-area dynamic model, and the performance was evaluated based on standard control metrics, including the settling time, overshoot/undershoot, and the Integral of Absolute Error (IAE). The results indicate that the ALO-optimized 2DOF-PID controller reduced the average settling time by nearly 40% and IAE by 12.6%, compared to the best-performing PID controller in the benchmark group. These findings highlight the advantages of combining the 2DOF-PID architecture with an evolutionary optimization strategy, offering improved dynamic and nonlinear control performance. The proposed approach shows strong potential for application in next-generation renewable energy systems and smart grids.