SVC placement using critical modes of voltage instability

The location of SVC (static VAR compensators) and other types of shunt compensation devices for voltage support is an important practical question. This paper considers a tool based on the determination of critical modes. Critical modes are computed by studying the system modes in the vicinity of the point of collapse. System participation factors for the critical mode are used to determine the most suitable sites for system reinforcement. Because the method does not rely on base case linearizations, the method is able to properly consider all system limits and nonlinear effects. The paper tests the proposed method by performing an assessment of the impact of the addition of static VAR compensators to a 1380 bus model of the BC Hydro system