Reactive Sources-A Method of Evaluating Their Effectiveness

A method for determining the effective values of reactive sources connected to electric power systems is presented. The effective values of such sources refer to their actual contributions to the reactive needs of a system, as contrasted with their nominal or nameplate volt-ampere values. The reactive sources may be generators, interconnections, high-voltage lines, synchronous condensers, or static capacitors. The effective value of any reactive source, such as a capacitor bank, depends not only upon its size and design which determine its nameplate value, but also upon its actual operating voltage, its availability when needed, the tolerances used in its manfuacture, and its location on the system.