Robust STATCOM controller design using PSO based automatic loop-shaping procedure

Static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) controls are known to enhance damping of a power system. The graphical loop-shaping procedure used in designing a robust STATCOM controller can be significantly improved by embedding some optimization procedure in it. In this article a particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique has been employed to rind the fixed parameter robust controller parameters. PSO based robust control design greatly reduces the computational effort compared to the manual graphical techniques. Simulation studies on a simple power system indicate that the designed controller provides very good damping properties.