Developing generic static Var system models - a WECC Task Force effort

This paper describes the current status of the work being conducted by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) SVC Task Force to develop generic power flow and time-domain stability models to represent all existing and future (modern) static Var systems (SVS) in the Western Interconnection. The intent is to have these models implemented by software vendors such as GE, Siemens PTI, Powertech Labs and others so that these models are then available to user´s in WECC (and worldwide) for their use in system planning studies. The value of this exercise is three fold: (i) it provides suitable non-proprietary, non-vendor specific models that can be used to evaluate SVS solution options for planning studies, (ii) it helps to move away from the proliferation of user-written models that are becoming hard to manage in large interconnected power system models such as the WECC, and (iii) the dissemination of the models and modeling documentation helps to educate power system planners and operators about the latest SVS technologies and their application.