Heuristic planning for dynamic VAR compensation using zoning approach

Dynamic VAR compensation (DVC) is gaining increasing attentions with growing construction of high-voltage DC systems and renewable power plants in modern power system. This study proposes a novel zoning-based heuristic planning method to reduce the sites and capacity of DVC installation. Clustering algorithm based on buses' dynamic behaviour correlation and voltage control ability is developed to partition the system into several control zones. Then, candidate DVC sites are determined by zones, which narrow the searching space and avoid excessive installation of DVCs on adjacent buses. The voltage control index is proposed to find proper DVC installation locations by zones and capacity optimisation is then carried out to reduce investment. The proposed methodology is demonstrated on a modified New England 39-bus test system with wind farm integration. Performance comparison with conventional planning scheme confirms the advantages of the new heuristic planning scheme in practical applications.