Global Voltage Sag Mitigation With FACTS-Based Devices

This paper presents an approach to optimally select and allocate flexible ac transmission (FACTS) devices in a distribution network in order to minimize the number of voltage sags at network buses. The method proposed is based on the optimization of a preselected objective function using simple and niching genetic algorithms (GA). The objective of the optimization is to achieve the improvement in overall system sag performance of the network. Using proposed GA-based optimization, the location, the type and the rating of six (in total) FACTS devices are optimized simultaneously. Three types of FACTS devices are implemented in this study, namely, static var compensator, static compensator, and dynamic voltage restorer. The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested and illustrated on 295-bus generic distribution system.