A generalized Benders decomposition approach to reactive source planning in power systems

Reactive sources in an electric power system do not consume or generate average power, but alter the phase relationships among system voltages and currents, and hence affect the power flows in the system. This paper deals with the location and sizing of such elements, with the objective of making the system operate satisfactorily if a certain set of contingencies should occur, while keeping investment costs low. This problem is analogous to other facility location problems except that, for a fixed set of location decisions, the relationships among system power flows and voltages are nonlinear. Noting successful experience in other location problems with Benders decomposition algorithm, the Generalized Benders method is applied. Even though the convexity assumptions needed to guarantee success may not be satisfied, the procedure performs well. Results are presented for systems of small, medium, and large dimensions.