Today let’s chat a bit about STATCOMs.
As a former lab rat, I love seeing devices in the field so I jumped at the chance when Oncor’s Jim Greer invited me to tour the ABB Statcom installed in the Dallas area primarily to address the loss of spinning reserve. These dang things work. And they work well and they are fast. These suckers can respond to disturbances within milliseconds.
So what does STATCOM stand for? It is a FACTS device called a Static Compensator. And they were designed to provide rapid, controlled reactive power.
So what is happening today? Dominion Energy is working with Siemens to install their first ever mobile STATCOM scheduled to be delivered in mid 2018.
Dominion intends to move this STATCOM around to mitigate adverse impacts of renewable generation sources and respond to disturbances from lost generation or weather-based events.
Check into this proven technology. And as STATCOMs gain wheels, utilities will reap even more benefits for their STATCOM investments.
This has been a T&D Minute.