Determining Voltage Control Areas in Large Scale Power Systems Based on Eigenanalysis of the QV Sensitivity Matrix

Abstract

Bulk power systems failures caused by voltage instability phenomena have become more frequent during the last years. Voltage control schemes capable of keeping voltage magnitude within specified limits, automatically, for a specific area of the power system can prevent this problem. The identification of potential voltage control areas of the power system is an essential part of voltage control scheme design. In some European countries these schemes have being contributing significantly both for safety and for the quality of operation. Regional and coordinated voltage control schemes are powerful mechanisms to avoid or mitigate this voltage instability phenomena. These control schemes known as secondary voltage control are based on pilot nodes and control areas, and their correct identifications are fundamental to an efficient voltage profile regulation. This paper proposes a methodology to identify voltage control areas based on the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the load flow QV sensitivity matrix. The results are compared with the traditional voltage sensitivity analysis methods.