Abstract
Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) system is one of the major devices broadly used in many industrial applications for regulating the voltage of the synchronous generator within its nominal values. Consequently, providing a suitable controller for the AVR system becomes a necessity to prevent instability and error in the system’s output response. Studies from past works have shown that an adequately tuned PID controller will maximize the efficiency of the AVR system. In recent decades metaheuristic algorithms have become increasingly prevalent due to their tremendous success in addressing real-world optimization problems. This paper, therefore, presents a concise survey of the optimization of the PID and FOPID controllers with new generation metaheuristic algorithms for controlling the AVR system. A short description of each algorithm is presented with papers published in various reputable journals. Finally, the paper presents some future directions of research.