A Developed Frequency Control Strategy for Hybrid Two-Area Power System with Renewable Energy Sources Based on an Improved Social Network Search Algorithm

Abstract

In this paper, an effective frequency control strategy is proposed for emulating sufficient inertia power and improving frequency stability. The developed technique is based on applying virtual inertia control (VIC) with superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) instead of a traditional energy storage system (ESS) to compensate for the system inertia during the high penetration of renewable energy sources, taking into account the role of the controller in the secondary control loop (SCL). Unlike previous studies that depended on the designer experience in selecting the parameters of the inertia gain or the parameters of the SMES technology, the parameters of the proposed strategy are selected using optimization techniques. Moreover, an improved optimization algorithm called Improved Social Network Search algorithm (ISNS) is proposed to select the optimal parameters of the proposed control strategy. Moreover, the ISNS is improved to overcome the demerits of the traditional SNS algorithm, such as low speed convergence and global search capability. Accordingly, the ISNS algorithm is applied to a hybrid two-area power grid to determine the optimal parameters of the proposed control technique as follows: the proportional-integral derivative (PID) controller in the SCL. Additionally, the ISNS is applied to select the optimal control gains of the VIC-based SMES technology (e.g., the inertia gain, the proportional gain of the SMES, and the negative feedback gain of the SMES). Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed ISNS algorithm is validated by comparing its performance with that of the traditional SNS algorithm and other well-known algorithms (i.e., PSO, TSA, GWO, and WHO) considering different standard benchmark functions. Formerly, the effectiveness of the proposed frequency control technique was confirmed by comparing its performance with the system performance based on optimal VIC with ESS as well as without VIC considering different operating situations. The simulation results demonstrated the superiority of the proposed technique over other considered techniques, especially during high penetration of renewable power and lack of system inertia. As a result, the proposed technique is credible for modern power systems that take into account RESs.