A HIERARCHICAL APPROACHTO REACTIVEVOLTAMPERE(VAR) OPTIMIZATION IN SYSTEMPLANNING

A two-level hierarchicalapproachfor optimum allocationof reactivevolt ampere (VAR) sourcesin largescalepower systemplanningis presentedin thispaper.Theapproachtakesadvantage of thenaturaldistinctionbetweenvar dispatchin systemoperation (Level1)andvarallocation in system planning(Level2). The two levels are related togetherusing theGeneralized BendersDecomposition. Themethodology hasbeenimplemented in theform of a prototypecomputerprogramwhich can be appliedto largescalepowersystemswithup to 1500 buses. The resultsof testingthe packagewithpractical power systemsofdifferent sizesandcharacteristics indicate thatthe technique is a valuabletoolforreactive sourceallocation.