A STATCOM with supercapacitors for enhanced power system stability

STATCOMs have been widely used for voltage support over the past decade, to improve power quality and voltage stability. However STATCOMs are limited in their ability to improve the system stability margin due to their restricted capability for delivering real power. Supercapacitors are devices which can store significant amounts of energy, and are able to quickly release it. The aim of this work is to investigate how supercapacitor based energy storage technology can be used to enhance the capability of STATCOM units to maintain a high quality of distribution voltage and improve the system stability.