With the growth and spread of power systems and Flexible A/C Transmission System (FACTS) controllers, effective management of reactive power resources has become more challenging. Transmission system operators often face issues of voltage stability, secondary voltage control, losses, and equipment wear. This book addresses these concerns and provides a centralized dispatch strategy for reactive power management. We review the literature on recent shunt FACTS controller operational experiences in the U.S. and examine several voltage stability indices. Finally, we propose a centralized reactive power management framework where the dispatch is formulated as a mixed-integer program. This framework is highly flexible to the number, sizes, and locations of FACTS and switched shunt devices. For FACTS controllers, the formulation allows for the treatment of both var and voltage control modes. This book should be useful for utility engineers or system operators interested in FACTS controllers or reactive power dispatch. It can also provide insights to researchers interested in practical applications of FACTS controllers, voltage stability, and reactive power dispatch.
