SVC Light: a utility's aid to restructuring its grid

The paper describes how a utility can benefit from a new product on the market: SVC Light. SVC Light is a reactive power compensator with very high bandwidth, built around a power converter with IGBT semiconductor switches. The configuration is similar to that of a STATCOM. In contrast to a STATCOM, however, SVC Light does not require transformers. Nor does it use the slower GTO semiconductor switches. One application, where the performance of SVC Light is superior to other available applications, is mitigation of flicker, i.e. annoying variations in illumination intensity in homes and offices, caused by, for example, electric arc furnaces. Not only can steel works benefit from this, but power utilities can also use SVC Light as a tool in their grids to give more flexibility in their planning. In the paper, a practical example of this is given.