FACTSFLEX

A STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) provides fast, accurate reactive power support to help maintain voltage levels and ensure grid stability, particularly in networks with high renewable energy integration. Typical range is 100-300 Mvar, however the range can be extended as needed.

Grid operators in both North America and Europe require interconnection resources to operate within a power factor range of 0.95 leading to 0.95 lagging at the point of interconnection. These standards ensure that generating resources contribute effectively to voltage control and reactive power management across the transmission system.

GE Vernova’s FACTSFLEX STATCOM is specifically engineered to meet or exceed these requirements. With ±300 Mvar capability and built on modular multilevel converter (MMC) technology, FACTSFLEX delivers precise voltage regulation. It also supports grid-forming capabilities, and with integrated energy storage, can provide active power support and virtual inertia, making it a resilient and future-ready solution for modern grid demands.

A STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) is engineered to provide extremely fast reactive power support, FACTSFLEX Classic, GFM and GFMe have a typical response time in milliseconds. This rapid response is essential for maintaining grid stability during voltage disturbances, load fluctuations, or events caused by high renewable energy integration.

Both North American ISOs and European TSOs mandate stringent response time requirements to ensure grid-connected devices can quickly stabilize voltage and support system reliability. STATCOMs built with modular multilevel converter (MMC) technology meet these requirements by delivering continuous and controllable reactive power within milliseconds.

When combined with energy storage, modern STATCOM systems like FACTSFLEX GFMe can also provide active power support, contributing virtual inertia and enabling grid-forming capabilities. These features make STATCOMs highly effective for today’s dynamic power systems, ensuring compliance with regional standards while supporting the transition to cleaner, more flexible grids.

GE Vernova’s FACTSFLEX portfolio meets these response time expectations for both North American and European grid codes, ensuring fast and reliable grid support across global applications

A STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) plays a crucial role in fault ride-through (FRT) performance by maintaining reactive power support during short-circuit or voltage sag events, helping preserve grid stability. Both North American and European grid codes require that connected systems remain operational and provide dynamic voltage support during and after grid faults, rather than disconnecting.

These requirements are particularly important for networks with high renewable energy integration, where system inertia is reduced and fast recovery is critical. STATCOMs built with modular multilevel converter (MMC) technology excel in these scenarios, responding within milliseconds to inject or absorb reactive power and support voltage recovery.

Modern STATCOMs, especially when integrated with energy storage, can also provide limited active power support and contribute virtual inertia, enhancing their grid-forming capabilities and fault resilience.

GE Vernova’s FACTSFLEX STATCOM is fully compliant with North American and European fault ride-through standards, ensuring continuous, stable operation during grid disturbances.

A STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) contributes to grid stability not only through reactive power support, but also by reducing harmonic distortion that can interfere with power quality and equipment performance. Grid codes typically set strict limits on harmonic emissions notably in North America and Europe, requiring advanced filtering to ensure compliance and reliable operation—especially as renewable energy integration grows and the grid becomes more sensitive to power quality issues.

STATCOMs built with modular multilevel converter (MMC) technology inherently produce lower harmonics and can be equipped with additional filtering features to meet regional harmonic standards. This improves system efficiency and supports smooth integration with other grid assets.

GE Vernova’s FACTSFLEX STATCOM is designed to meet harmonic distortion requirements across both North American and European grids, ensuring clean power delivery while supporting advanced functions like virtual inertia, grid-forming capabilities, and active power support when combined with energy storage.

As more wind and solar generation comes online, utilities face increasingly variable and less predictable power flows. These fluctuations can result in rapid changes to system frequency—known as Rate of Change of Frequency (ROCOF)—posing significant challenges to grid stability, especially in low-inertia networks.

GE Vernova’s FACTSFLEX> STATCOM with Grid-Forming with Energy Storage (GFMe) provides an advanced solution. Unlike traditional grid-following devices, GFMe-equipped STATCOMs actively shape and stabilize the grid by delivering fast, programmable virtual inertia and fast frequency response. This enables utilities to manage ROCOF more effectively, support renewable energy integration, and maintain voltage and frequency stability in real-time.

With flexible architecture and modular scalability, FACTSFLEX STATCOM can adapt to a wide range of grid conditions and deployment needs—making it ideal for high-renewable regions and modern grids facing rapid change.

AI data centers introduce highly dynamic, high-density electrical loads that fluctuate rapidly during training and inference cycles. These sharp, millisecond-scale changes in power demand can cause significant voltage sags, transients, and instability, especially when multiple high-power GPU racks operate simultaneously.

Traditional voltage regulation tools like SVCs and synchronous condensers cannot react quickly enough to stabilize voltage under these conditions.

A STATCOM with Grid-Forming and Energy Storage capabilities (GFMe) offers the speed and precision needed to address these challenges. Balancing the huge load swings of AI data center with the capability to inject and absorb significant amount of active power, the FACTSFLEX GFMe will smoothen the power draw seen by micro- or power grids. In addition, it delivers fast reactive power support, virtual inertia, and waveform control, ensuring voltage remains stable even during rapid load changes or weak grid events. Its modular, scalable design also allows for localized deployment near data centers, making it ideal for fast-growing AI infrastructure.