Design and Evaluation of a Load Frequency Controller for a Hybrid Power System using Fuzzy Logic Tuned by the Bees Algorithm

Load Frequency Control (LFC) is designed to keep system frequency close to its nominal value. This study addresses the problem of frequency variations in a hybrid power system and provides theoretically grounded remedies. These techniques were used in a hybrid power system that combines a Diesel Engine Generator (DEG) with photovoltaic (PV) arrays. A soft optimization technique using the Bees Algorithm (BA) is employed to fine-tune LFC's proposed Fuzzy Logic Controller parameters, aiming for optimal control and dynamic system performance. Implementing a controller for fuzzy logic optimized by the BA, results in improved frequency response of the PV-DEG system, both during and after load disturbances. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is assessed through MATLAB-Simulink simulations and tests under various load conditions. The results highlight its enhanced performance, demonstrating its effectiveness as a valuable tool for addressing challenges in electrical power systems, particularly in load frequency management. A comparison between the Fuzzy Logic Controller tuned by the BA and a conventional PID controller as well as a non-optimized FLC was done to show how effective each controller was in handling the frequency variations. The results indicate that the Fuzzy Logic Controller tuned by the BA significantly outperforms the other two controllers as the overshoot/undershoot percentage was improved from 6.6% to 2.1% and then 0.5%.