Johnson Matthey Technology Review - Volume 69, Issue 4, 2025

In power grid modernisation, optimal network use is essential to preserving acceptable voltage profiles, boosting voltage stability, reducing power losses, and strengthening system security and dependability. This can be accomplished by strategically placing reactive power compensation devices within transmission and distribution networks, such as capacitor banks, synchronous condensers, flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) devices and custom power devices. The optimal location and size of these devices are essential for effective investment, but previous research has mostly concentrated on a variety of methods for this goal, using different indices to evaluate power loss, voltage stability, voltage profile and line loadability. Despite these initiatives, there is still a lack of a thorough analysis of how current indices and methodologies are applied to all varieties of reactive power compensation devices. This paper offers a detailed literature review on the ideal placement and sizing of these devices, encompassing analytical, conventional and hybrid-based techniques. It discusses key objectives such as power loss reduction, voltage deviation (VD) mitigation, voltage stability enhancement and improvements in system reliability and security. Additionally, the paper examines the relevance of reactive power for stakeholders, including transmission system operators (TSOs), distribution system operators (DSOs) and power generating companies, and explores the mathematical modelling of optimal reactive power dispatch (ORPD), considering the impact of renewable energy sources (RESs) and the role of FACTS devices.

The inherent variability and the sporadic and unpredictable nature of solar irradiance limit the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) arrays in consistently achieving maximum power output. This paper addresses the technical challenge of enhancing power extraction efficiency from PV systems by implementing and conducting a comparative study of various maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms. The various algorithms which are considered for analysis purpose are perturb and observe algorithm (P&O), incremental conductance algorithm (INC) and fuzzy logic-based algorithm (FLC). The objective is to identify the most effective algorithm to maintain PV array operation near its maximum power point (MPP) under dynamic environmental conditions. The methodology involves configuring a direct current (DC) DC-DC converter with precise duty cycle adjustments to optimise energy conversion and transfer. Additionally, the extracted energy is directed to a battery or energy storage unit via a secondary converter. The system is simulated in MATLAB^® to test and compare the performance of different MPPT algorithms. This facilitates the determination of which algorithm most efficiently optimises power extraction from the PV system.