Improved fault-clearing strategy for large renewable energy systems using advanced optimization and FLC

This paper introduces a novel fault-clearing strategy for large-scale hybrid photovoltaic/wind/battery power systems (HPVWBPS). A modified fault-clearing strategy (MFCS) is developed using the Manta ray foraging optimization (MRFO) algorithm and a fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The FLC enhances decision-making in fault-clearing, while MRFO determines the optimal FLC gains for photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine (WT)-based power plants, ensuring maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Additionally, MRFO optimizes power dispatch during faults by considering solar and wind resource availability, battery energy levels, and load demand. By mimicking the foraging behavior of manta rays, the algorithm efficiently balances power generation and consumption, minimizing fault impact. The proposed strategy is evaluated through extensive simulations on a large-scale HPVWBPS using MATLAB/SIMULINK 2022(b). The proposed method enhances system stability and fault recovery by determining optimal controller gains using the MRFO algorithm. A detailed comparison of key performance metrics, rise time (RT), settling time (ST), maximum overshoot (MOST), and optimal gains was conducted for both voltage and current regulators under four configurations: PI-based GWO, PI-based MRFO, FLC-based GWO, and FLC-based MRFO. This assessment isolates the effects of both the controller type and the optimization algorithm. The results show that MRFO consistently outperforms GWO in both PI and FLC frameworks. MRFO provides faster convergence, reduced overshoot, and shorter settling times. For the current regulator, the MRFO-FLC combination achieves an ST of 1.0020 ms, compared to 1.0033 ms for the PI-GWO controller, marking a 1.3% improvement. The RT is reduced from 3.2755 μs to 2.1885 μs, a 33.2% decrease. MOST is also lowered from 143.22% to 140.12%, a 2.17% reduction. These improvements enhance the regulator's dynamic performance and reduce component stress. The voltage regulator shows similar trends. The ST drops slightly from 1.0052 ms to 1.0051 ms. RT improves from 8.1978 μs to 8.1878 μs. MOST decreases from 86.79% to 86.57%. Though the changes are smaller, they remain consistent across all metrics. FLC-based controllers outperform PI-based controllers in terms of dynamic response and stability. They better handle system nonlinearities and delays, making them more suitable for hybrid renewable energy systems. Among all configurations tested, the FLC-MRFO setup delivers the best overall performance. Its superior adaptability, reduced overshoot, and faster response validate its effectiveness for robust and efficient power system control.