Shunt versus Series compensation in the improvement of Power system performance

VAR compensation involves the management of reactive power for the improvement of electric power system performance. Adequate reactive power control solves power quality problems like flat voltage profile maintenance at all power transmission levels, and improvement of power factor, transmission efficiency and system stability. Series and Shunt VAR compensation techniques are used to modify the natural electrical characteristics of electric power system. Series compensation modifies the reactance parameter of the transmission or distribution system, while shunt compensation changes the equivalent load impedance. In both cases, the line reactive power can be effectively controlled thereby improving the performance of the overall electric power system. This paper presents an overview of the reactive power and static VAR compensation technologies. In case study, an application example is illustrated. The results obtained by applying both series and shunt VAR compensation techniques individually to the case study illustrated are tabulated for comparison.