Innovative volt/VAr management provides payback

In the dynamic utility company environment in the United States today, the inevitability of deregulation has placed an emphasis on system efficiencies, costs reductions, power quality, and overall profitability. Mergers and acquisitions abound, and due to the climate of the industry as a whole, many utility companies are performing economic evaluations and studies to see where changes can be made to achieve these goals. Very often, volt/VAr management and distribution system automation are becoming hot topics. The focal point for volt/VAr management and control tends to be at the distribution level, and generally contains some sort of automation. At the distribution level, there are several major system components that can affect the management of volts and VArs. These components are: LTC (load tap changing) transformers, LTC (load tap changing) line regulators and capacitor bank controls (pole-top and substation step-bank), all of which can lend themselves to automation. In any good evaluation of a volt/VAr management system, all of these components must be considered individually, as well as collectively, to ascertain the most efficient, viable method of control. Substation capacitor banks, both at transmission substations, as well as at distribution substations, handle base load requirements. The paper discusses switched pole-top capacitor bank applications and their controls, which are used to offset the varying VAr requirements on a daily basis.