Investigating the Latency Effects of Communication Links on Single-Area AGC Stability

Automatic Generation Control (AGC) is vital for maintaining the balance between power generation and load demand. However, the modern transition toward open-communication infrastructures introduces time delays (latency) that can destabilize control loops. This paper investigates the impact of varying communication link latencies on the stability of a single-area power system. By modeling the system with dedicated delay components, we analyze the critical delay margins beyond which the system exhibits oscillatory behavior or total instability. Our findings suggest that while traditional PI controllers are robust, specific latency thresholds exist that necessitate adaptive compensation strategies to maintain grid frequency within permissible limits.