Optimal location of TCSC and its use in congestion management

Abstract

Over the last two decades, electricity demand has increased substantially while the expansion of generation and transmission network has been limited due to environmental and/or economic constraints of building new generating plants and transmission lines. As a consequence, transmission lines are driven close to their transfer limits, and congestion often results. This paper proposes a method of locating series FACTS devices in a power system, with aim of alleviating congestion. Congestion rent is used to pinpoint lines suitable for TCSC placement. The proposed method is tested on the Western System Coordinating Council (WSCC) 9-bus test system, and results obtained show that locating FACTS devices optimally reduces the level of congestion in a power system