A Survey on STATCOM Techniques

The Static Var Compensator (SVC) and the Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), as two components of Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices, play an important role in controlling the reactive power flow to the power network. Because of economic considerations, identifying the best location for installing the SVC and STATCOM is also important. The FACTS devices placement problem is commonly solved using heuristic optimization techniques which are diverse and have been the subject of ongoing enhancements. This paper presents a survey of the literature from the last decade that has focused on the various heuristic optimization techniques applied to determine optimal placement and sizing of the SVC and STATCOM.