Reactive power planning of large-scale systems

This paper discusses short-term operations planning applications in reactive power management involving existing equipment. Reactive power planning involves the sizing and siting of additional reactive support equipment in order to satisfy system voltage constraints (minimum and maximum limits) under both normal and contingency conditions. The use of the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) and the VARPLAN computer codes for operations planning are examined. The OPF software can be used to determine if reactive outputs from nearby generators are scheduled properly, and to confirm that parallel transformers have been properly set. A major benefit of the system planning software VARPLAN is the ability to simultaneously consider both normal and contingency conditions, while adding a minimal amount of new reactive power. Applications to long-term system planning of new reactive power sources are described.