SMART Power Flow Controllers – A Necessity for Future Power Grid

Power flow control techniques have been practiced, from using inductors, capacitors, transformers, and load tap changers in the earlier days of electrical engineering to power electronics-based solutions in recent years. Even though the costs and complexities of the available solutions vary widely, the basic underlying theory of power flow control is still the same as it has always been. The question is which solution one should employ. The answer depends on knowing what the true need is. The power industry’s pressing need for the most economical ways to transfer bulk power along a desired path may be met by building new transmission lines, which is a long and costly process. Alternately, it may be quicker and cheaper to utilize the existing transmission lines more efficiently. The key is to identify the underutilized transmission lines and harness their dormant capacities to increase the power flows to the lines’ thermal limits using the most cost-effective and time-tested solutions.
The presentation is designed to provide the basic principles of power flow control theory, an overview of the most commonly used power flow controllers, and future trends. The audience will hear from an expert who has actually designed and commissioned a number of power electronics-based FACTS controllers since their inception in the 1990s.
The two reference books are as follows:.
– Introduction to FACTS Controllers: Theory, Modeling, and Applications (ISBN: 978-0-470-47875-2), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2009
– Power Flow Control Solutions for a Modern Grid using SMART Power Flow Controllers (ISBN: 978-1-119-82435-0), IEEE Press and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2022.
Speaker(s): Sen,
Bldg: C122 Exhibition Space, 25 Wally’s Walk, Macquarie University, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia, 2109