Reactive Power Loss Minimization on an Interconnected Electric Power Network

The inability of power system to maintain a proper balance of reactive power is the major cause of voltage collapse. A system can be saved from voltage collapse by reducing the reactive power load or by adding additional reactive power into the system. The electric power system is afflicted with continuous load shedding due to inadequate generation and transmission capacities. To maximize the amount of real power that can be transferred over a network, reactive power flow must be minimized. Thus, sufficient reactive power should be provided locally in the system to keep bus voltages within stipulated ranges to satisfy customers’ equipment ratings. This paper presents an overview in reactive power compensation skills which remains as research challenges in this area. Newton-Raphson’s solution method was used to carry out the analysis because of its fast convergence, sparsity, and simplicity attributes when compared to other solution methods, with relevant data obtained from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). MATLAB/SIMULINK was used to carry out the simulation analysis. It is observed that the application of compensation on the unified system jointly has effect on the other buses. This is confirmed by a step-by-step application of compensation at 5% intervals. The effects were noticed in Bus (20) where voltage decreased from 0.9568 to 0.9329 p.u. about 2.39%, bus (19) from 0.998 to 1.1035 p.u. and others. These results indicate undershoot and overshoot that will cause damage to the system, and may lead to system collapse if no contingency control is installed. It is also observed that compensation should be done on weak buses only for better results. The results indicate the enhancement in voltage profile in addition to reduction in the network losses and more balanced system. Active and reactive power control greatly influence the electricity grid, thus, need adequate attention with the recent advent of integration of renewable energy into the grid.