Damping inter-area oscillations in power systems by STATCOMs

Shunt FACTS devices such as STATCOMs are best known for their impact on reactive power flow in power networks. This is usually done by local reactive compensation which also regulates voltage magnitude of the bus to which the shunt FACTS device is connected. On the other hand, these devices are less known for their effect on active power flow. This paper discusses a novel approach for damping inter-area oscillations in a large power network using multiple STATCOMs. In the paper, it will be shown that these oscillations can be controlled by changing STATCOMs´ bus voltage angles, hence regulating active power flow through the network. Feasibility of the new approach is also discussed.