Optimizing Automatic Voltage Regulation: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

Abstract

This paper presents a novel approach to enhance the performance of Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) systems in power systems using Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL). The AVR plays a critical role in maintaining voltage stability and ensuring reliable power delivery. However, conventional control strategies, such as PID controllers, have limitations in handling complex and nonlinear power system dynamics. In this study, the application of DRL techniques is explored, particularly the Twin-Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (TD3) algorithm, to AVR control. This algorithm offers the advantage of handling continuous action spaces and enable the controller to learn optimal control policies directly from the system's state information. The results show that the DRL approach outperforms the traditional PID and Neural Network-based control approaches, with the shortest time response and the best voltage regulation performance. The use of DRL in AVR system control shows promising potential for improving the efficiency and accuracy of power system control. This research provides insights into the advantages of DRL for process control and highlights its potential for future applications in power system control.