Application of Genetic Algorithm to power system voltage stability enhancement using facts devices

Over the last two decades, voltage instability problem in power systems have become one of the most important concerns in the power industry. Recently, several network blackouts have been related to voltage collapse. The introduction of emerging Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) technology improves the Stability, reduces the losses and also reduces the cost of generation. FACTS controllers are used to control the voltage, current, impedance, phase angle and to damp the oscillations. Placing FACTS devices like SVC, TCSC, etc., in a suitable location will help to maintain bus voltages at a desired level and also to improve the Voltage Stability margins. This paper presents an effective method which is used to find the best optimal location of FACTS controllers by using metaheuristic algorithm called Genetic Algorithm. In this paper, the load flow analysis is performed by using conventional Newton Raphson technique. Different loading conditions are considered and MATLAB coding is developed for simulation.