EFFICIENT ACTIVE POWER ALLOCATION IN MICROGRID-INTEGRATED VIRTUAL POWER PLANTS USING SALP SWARM ALGORITHM.

The increasing reliance on renewable energy sources (RES) introduces challenges in power system stability due to the inherent variability and intermittency of these sources. Microgrid-integrated virtual power plants (VPPs) offer a promising solution by aggregating diverse energy resources and controllable loads while working as an entity. This study investigates an optimized control strategy for regulating active power within such a system. The proposed hybrid microgrid comprises Solar Photovoltaics (PV), Wind Turbines, Diesel Generators, and controllable loads such as Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and Heat Pumps. Utilising a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller, optimised through the Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the study demonstrates improved system stability and response to power fluctuations. Comparative analysis confirms the superiority of the SSA-based control mechanism over the PSO-based approach. This work underscores the robustness and efficiency of the proposed strategy in ensuring stable power management in dynamic microgrid environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]