A NEW METHOD FOR OPTIMAL LOCATION OF FACTS CONTROLLERS USING GENETIC ALGORITHM

This paper presents a novel method for optimal location of FACTS controllers in a multi machine power system using Genetic Algorithm(GA). Using the proposed method, the location of FACTS controller, their type and rated values are optimized simultaneously. Among the various FACTS controllers, Thyristor Controlled Series Compensator (TCSC) and Unified power Flow Controller (UPFC) are considered. The proposed algorithm is an effective method for finding the optimal choice and location of FACTS controller and also in minimizing the overall system cost, which comprises of generation cost and investment cost of FACTS controller using GA and conventional Newton Raphson’s power flow method. A VC++ coding is developed for Genetic Algorithm. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, IEEE 9 bus system is used. Different operating conditions of the power system are considered for finding the optimal choice and location of FACTS controllers. The proposed algorithm is an effective and practical method for the optimal allocation of FACTS controllers.