Application of Averaging Technique to the Power System Optimum Placement and Sizing of Static Compensators

The application of static compensators (STATCOM) has been growing in transmission and distribution systems. This is basically followed for succeeding various objectives such as voltage stability, loss reduction, or reactive power control. However, making a decision on the best possible locations for STATCOMs can be achieved by arranging a combinatorial optimization problem, and solving it by heuristic methods such as genetic algorithm. It is also necessary to involve a suitable model of STATCOM for the power flow analysis, which takes into account the effects of the DC-link as well as the power losses and the modulation index of the converter. This paper applies the average model of STATCOM to the optimal placement of compensators for the IEEE 14-bus benchmark network. The genetic algorithm is programmed with MATLAB to seek the optimal locations of STATCOMs and their nominal values. This provides the possibility of simulating and analyzing a variety of cases in which power system issues such as losses, reactive power, and its loadability are investigated.