Load Frequency Control of Small Hydropower Plants Using One-Input Fuzzy PI Controller with Linear and Non-Linear Plant Model

This study presents an intelligent approach for load frequency control (LFC) of small hydropower plants (SHPs). The approach which is based on fuzzy logic (FL), takes into account the non-linearity of SHPs—something which is not possible using traditional controllers. Most intelligent methods use two- input fuzzy controllers, but because such controllers are expensive, there is economic interest in the relatively cheaper single-input controllers. A non- linear control model based on one-input fuzzy logic PI (FLPI) controller was developed and applied to control the non-linear SHP. Using MATLAB/Si- mulink SimScape, the SHP was simulated with linear and non-linear plant models. The performance of the FLPI controller was investigated and compared with that of the conventional PI/PID controller. Results show that the settling time for the FLPI controller is about 8 times shorter;while the overshoot is about 15 times smaller compared to the conventional PI/PID controller. Therefore, the FLPI controller performs better than the conventional PI/PID controller not only in meeting the LFC control objective but also in ensuring increased dynamic stability of SHPs.