Microgrids take a large part in power networks thanks to their operational and economic benefits. This research introduces a novel implementation of an adaptive proportional plus integral (PI) controller to boost the autonomous microgrid operation efficiency. The least mean and square roots of the exponential algorithm are utilized in the adaptive PI control strategy. The multi-objective function for both sunflower optimization (SFO) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms is obtained by The Response Surface Methodology. The system is evaluated under different environments, which are stated as follows: 1) disconnect the system from the grid (islanding), 2) autonomous system exposure to load variability, and 3) autonomous system exposure to a symmetrical fault. The proposed practicality of the control plan is shown by the data of the simulation, which is extracted from PSCAD/EMTDC software. The strength of the suggested adaptive control is confirmed through matching its results with those obtained using the SFO and PSO based optimal PI controllers. INDEX TERMS microgrid; optimization; power systems; renewable energy. Ahmed Al-Durra (S'07-M'10-SM'14) received his PhD in ECE from Ohio State University in 2010.He is a Professor in the EECS Department at Khalifa University, UAE. His research interests are applications of control and estimation theory on power systems stability, micro and smart grids, renewable energy systems and integration, and process control. He has one US patent, one edited book, 12 book chapters, and over 210 scientific articles in top-tier journals and refereed international conference proceedings. He has supervised/co-supervised