Enhancing Load Frequency Control in Single-Area Power Systems: A Comparative Study of PID, FOPID, GA, and PSO-Based Optimization Techniques

Studies show that maintaining nominal frequencies (50 Hz or 60 Hz) is a critical challenge due to power imbalances and frequency deviations caused by load disturbances. To address this problem, this study investigates the performance of PSO and GA in improving the performance of PID and FOPID controllers for frequency regulation in single thermal power systems area and by analyzing the performance of controllers under various cost functions (IAE, ITAE, ISE, ITSE). PSO-PID, optimized with the ITAE cost function, achieved the fastest settling time (3.5 seconds), the lowest overshoot (0.001 Hz), and negligible undershoot (0.002 Hz). Similarly, PSO-FOPID outperformed GA-FOPID, achieving stabilization at 60 Hz almost instantly, with minimal overshoot (0.0156 Hz).