This review article aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the literature along with comprehensive bibliography on automatic generation control (AGC)/load frequency control investigations. Different control perspectives concerning frequency and power control have been featured. Diverse linear, non-linear power system models are discussed under conventional and deregulated environments considering various power generation sources, including conventional, renewable energy sources (RES), and realistic RES. Moreover, AGC literature briefly explains various secondary controllers like integer order, fractional order, intelligent, cascade, and some recently used controllers. To obtain the optimum values of secondary controllers, various optimization strategies such as numerical approach, heuristic, and meta-heuristic techniques for AGC issues are mentioned. Also, AGC studies concerning power transmission, considering inertia and phase-locked loops in high voltage direct current (HVDC) and accurate HVDC models are discussed. Further, AGC literature integrated with flexible alternating current transmission system devices in loaded transmission lines and energy storage devices due to intermittent power generation in RES is deliberated. Furthermore, various performance index criteria (PIC) such as standard PIC and hybrid peak area (HPA)–PIC for controller optimization with algorithms are also conferred.

This paper proposes a novel hybrid technique called enhanced grey wolf optimization‐sine cosine algorithm‐cuckoo search (EGWO‐SCA‐CS) algorithm to improve the electrical power system stability. The proposed method comprises of a popular grey wolf optimization (GWO) in an enhanced and hybrid form. It embraces the well‐balanced exploration and exploitation using the cuckoo search (CS) algorithm and enhanced search capability through the sine cosine algorithm (SCA) to elude the stuck to the local optima. The proposed technique is validated with the 23 benchmark functions and compared with state‐of‐the‐art methods. The benchmark functions consist of unimodal, multimodal function from which the best suitability of the proposed technique can be identified. The robustness analysis also presented with the proposed method through boxplot, and a detailed statistical analysis is performed for a set of 30 individual runs. From the inferences gathered from the benchmark functions, the proposed technique is applied to the stability problem of a power system, which is heavily stressed with the nonlinear variation of the load and thereby operating conditions. The dynamics of power system components have been considered for the mathematical model of a multimachine system, and multiobjective function has been framed in tuning the optimal controller parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm has been assessed by considering two case studies, namely, (i) the optimal controller parameter tuning, and (ii) the coordination of oscillation damping devices in the power system stability enhancement. In the first case study, the power system stabilizer (PSS) is considered as a controller, and a self‐clearing three‐phase fault is considered as the system uncertainty. In contrast, static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) and PSS are considered as controllers to be coordinated, and perturbation in the system states as uncertainty in the second case study.