Load frequency control performance enhancement of an electric vehicle integrated time-delay multi-microgrid system

Frequency control in a microgrid (<i>μ</i>G) is problematic due to low inertia of distributed generators (DGs) and uncertainty of the renewable energy source-dependent DGs. Consequently, deploying distributed storage units (DSUs) in a <i>μ</i>G is crucial for quickly arresting frequency deviations. The electric vehicle (EV) technology, as DSU, is being preferred over conventional energy storage due to its lower cost and slower degradation rate, facilitating demand side response in a <i>μ</i>G. The adoption of the EV technology necessitates an open communication infrastructure in the <i>μ</i>G, with a pre-existing communication time delay (CTD). This article explores the impact of EV integration on load frequency control (LFC) performance of a multi-microgrid (M<i>μ</i>G) system and determines an optimal CTD value simultaneously. A cyclical parthenogenesis algorithm-optimized 2DOF-FOPID controller is implemented to obtain dynamic responses of the M<i>μ</i>G system. Simulation results reveal significant improvements in dynamic responses when integrating EVs in the M<i>μ</i>G, with a 97.33% increase in objective function value. The recommended controller also outperforms standard controllers in terms of how quickly frequency and tie-line power variations settle down to zero. Thus, the proposed controller meets the LFC requirements. Robustness of the proposed LFC scheme is tested against parametric variations in the M<i>μ</i>G system.