Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has announced that its Taipei-based affiliate - Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corporation (Shihlin Electric) has received an order from Taiwan Power Company for Taiwan’s first static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) for power grid stabilization.
STATCOMs are devices that control and stabilize voltage in power systems by instantly providing reactive power. The STATCOM from Mitsubishi Electric will be delivered to the Nanke Substation in Tainan and installed in a substation designed to blend in with its surrounding landscape and community.
Mitsubishi Electric provides STATCOM system
Mitsubishi Electric’s system will contribute to the stable operation of the Tainan Science Park
With a rated capacity of ±200 megavolt-amperes (MVA), Mitsubishi Electric’s system will contribute to the stable operation of the Tainan Science Park, where a number of factories produce semiconductors and display monitors. Delivery is scheduled for the first half of 2025 and the system is expected to begin operating in the first half of 2026.
Taiwan Power highly evaluated Mitsubishi Electric’s extra-reliable, high-performance insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) integrated with the STATCOM, as well as Shihlin Electric’s experience in delivering and constructing substations, which led the utility to place Taiwan's first order for a STATCOM.
Key Features
- Suppresses power fluctuations caused by the increasing use of renewable energy in power grids
- The STATCOM's top-class ±200MVA capacity supports power-oscillation damping and grid voltage stability by immediately producing reactive power to restore the system if a failure occurs.
- The STATCOM's dead zone prevents it from responding to voltage changes under steady-state conditions to prevent unnecessary reactive power output, thus enabling coordinated control with existing phase regulating equipment in the power system, as well as minimizing the STATCOM's operational costs.
- Aesthetically designed substation harmonized with the surrounding landscape and community
- Mitsubishi Electric and Shihlin Electric worked closely to propose an aesthetically designed a substation exterior that will blend seamlessly with the local area's environment and community.
Taiwan accelerates renewable energy sources adoption
As Taiwan strives to accelerate its adoption of diverse renewable energy sources, such as offshore wind and solar power to achieve carbon neutrality, it is working to improve the stability of its overall power grid, including during accidents, to reliably transmit power from renewable energy sources. Improving the resilience of the entire power grid will be critical.
Power grid systems are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated due to the expanding incorporation of renewable energy sources as a carbon-neutral strategy. Mitsubishi Electric is committed to supporting the stabilization of power grids worldwide, in order to contribute to greater convenience and safety through the use of reliable electricity.