Grid Forming – an Evolution in STATCOM Technology for Today’s Power Grids

Grid Forming (GFM) technologies are essential tools in enabling the transition to a more sustainable grid and integrating renewables. Compared to conventional Grid Following (GFL) technologies, GFM technologies offer significant improvements in terms of fault current injection, system strength contribution, and the ability to operate in weak grids. The GFM concept has been implemented in grid-connected converters, one being the Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM). This paper aims to introduce the STATCOM with GFM capabilities, grid codes and the need for GFM, and highlight the advancement of GFM STATCOMs worldwide with two reference cases in the US.