Reactive Reserve Management based Voltage Stability Enhancement using Genetic Algorithm

Voltage stability is a major aspect of power system security analysis in both operational planning and real time. This paper is dedicated to the determination of best control action to put back the system in voltage security margins with respect to load increase from present loading conditions. The approach of this paper is to perform a single optimization for providing improved margin and corresponding controls. Control and dependent variable have been handled together. A quadratic performance index has been selected which limits reactive power excursions of generator buses from the mean value. This provides sufficient reactive power reserve in upper as well as lower region. Sufficient stability margin is maintained by selecting a threshold value of minimum eigenvalue of load flow Jacobian. A real coded genetic algorithm (RCGA) based approach is proposed to attain the optimal setting of reactive power control variables.