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Published in IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution

Received on 17th June 2008
Revised on 28th October 2008
doi: 10.1049/iet-gtd:20080282

ISSN 1751-8687

Selection of capacitors to regulate voltage

of a short-shunt induction generator
M.H. Haque
Centre for Smart Energy Systems, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore 639798
E-mail: emhhaque@ntu.edu.sg

Abstract: A self-excited induction generator (SEIG) has poor voltage regulation and that restricts wide applicability
of the generator. A simple method of selecting the values of fixed and switched capacitors in a short-shunt SEIG
driven by a regulated prime mover to maintain the load voltage within the upper and lower acceptable limits is
proposed. The values of the capacitors are selected very carefully to minimise the number of switched capacitors
needed to satisfy the above voltage criterion, and that would minimise the cost and complexity of the voltage
regulator. This requires evaluating the generator characteristics under constant voltage operation.
The equations needed to obtain such characteristics are also derived and solved using a numerical based
routine ‘fsolve’ given in MATLAB. The proposed method of selecting the capacitor values is then tested on a
three-phase, 1.5 kW induction generator operating in a short-shunt configuration. The simulation results
obtained by the proposed method are also compared with the corresponding actual values found through an
experimental setup and are observed to be in very good agreement.

1 Introduction clean and renewable energy sources to reduce dependency on

It is an established fact that an ordinary induction motor (IM)
can operate as a generator when it is driven by an external
prime mover and a proper size of capacitor bank is
connected across its stator terminals [1, 2]. Such a machine
is called a self-excited induction generator (SEIG) and its
schematic diagram is shown in Fig. 1. The objective of using
the capacitor bank is to provide adequate reactive power
support for excitation of the generator when it is operating
in a stand-alone mode. Alternatively, the stator terminals of
the machine can be connected to a grid supply to draw
reactive power from the grid. In this case, the machine must
be driven above the synchronous speed (for a squirrel-cage
machine) to operate it as a generator and such a machine is
called grid connected induction generator. The basic
operating principles of an induction generator can be found
in [3]. Numerous articles on steady-state and dynamic
analyses of an induction generator are listed in [4, 5].
fossil fuels makes the use of SEIG even more attractive
because vast amounts of renewable energy sources, such as
wind and mini-hydro are available in remote areas.
Unlike a synchronous generator, an SEIG (squirrel-cage
type) is unable to supply reactive power. In fact, it absorbs
reactive power from an external source. The reactive power
demand of the generator depends on its terminal voltage
and other factors. For a constant terminal voltage, the
reactive power demand of the generator increases with
the increase of its active power delivery [6, 7]. When the
excitation capacitor is kept constant, the terminal voltage of
the generator usually decreases with the increase in active
power delivery [3, 6]. This in turn decreases the amount of
reactive power supplied by the capacitor and that causes
further reduction of voltage. That is why an SEIG has poor
voltage regulation and it is a bottleneck for wide applicability
of the generator.

SEIGs are increasingly being used in small power plants in Several methods of improving voltage regulation of an SEIG
remote areas because of their many advantageous features over are proposed in the literature. For constant voltage operation, it
synchronous generators. Recent emphasis on the utilisation of is necessary to adjust the excitation reactive power continuously

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Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a SEIG
with load. Ooi and David [8] used a synchronous condenser as
an adjustable reactive power source for voltage control.
However, a synchronous machine is expensive and requires a
DC supply for its excitation, and that overrides the
advantages of using an induction generator. A static VAR
compensator (SVC) [9, 10] and static compensator
(STATCOM) [7, 11] can also be used to provide adjustable
reactive power. However, both the SVC and STATCOM are
expensive and sophisticated power electronic-based devices
and, thus, their use in a small power plant in remote areas
may not be justifiable. For such an application, it is very
important to have a simple, robust and less expensive system
that requires minimum maintenance because such facility is
likely to be managed by unskilled operators. In addition, the
loads in remote areas are usually not very sensitive to small
voltage deviation (VD). Thus, a voltage controller that can
maintain voltage within an acceptable range is possibly more
appropriate. Singh et al. [6, 12] used switched capacitors to
control voltage in a discrete manner. By selecting appropriate
values of fixed and switched capacitors, it is possible to
maintain voltage within the lower and upper acceptable limits
for the entire operating range (from no-load to full load). The
use of such a voltage controller in a small power plant in
remote areas is more appropriate.
As mentioned earlier, for constant voltage operation, the
reactive power demand of an induction generator increases
with its active power delivery. Thus, the use of a series
capacitor to supply a part of additional reactive power demand
would definitely improve the voltage profile. To utilise this
feature, short- and long-shunt configurations of induction
generators are proposed by some researchers [13–16]. In both
the short- and the long-shunt configurations, two sets of
capacitors (series and shunt), as shown in Fig. 2, are used. In
the short-shunt configuration, the shunt capacitor is directly
connected across the machine terminals. The load is then
connected to the machine terminals through the series
Figure 2 Schematic diagram of:
a Short-shunt generator
b Long-shunt generator
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capacitor. In the case of the long-shunt configuration, the
stator windings of the machine are connected in series with
the series capacitors. The load, in parallel with the shunt
capacitor, is then connected across the series combination of
stator windings and series capacitors. Comparative studies
revealed that the short-shunt configuration can provide better
results than its counterpart long-shunt configuration [13, 14].
Even for the short-shunt configuration, the voltage profile in
the entire operating range (form no-load to full load) may
exceed the upper and lower acceptable limits. However, the
voltage profile can be improved by using additional shunt
switched capacitors. The number of switched capacitors
needed in this case would be much less than that in the
conventional shunt generator of Fig. 1 (where only the shunt
capacitor is used).
This paper describes a method of determining the values of
series and shunt capacitors needed in a short-shunt induction
generator to maintain the load voltage within the upper and
lower acceptable limits. The effectiveness of the proposed
method is then evaluated on a three-phase, 1.5 kW short-
shunt induction generator. The simulation results obtained
by the proposed method are also compared with the
corresponding experimental values.
2 Mathematical model
The per-phase equivalent circuit of a three-phase short-shunt
induction generator with its excitation capacitors and an R-L
load is shown in Fig. 3, where R1 , X1 , R2 , X2 , Rc and Xm
represent the stator resistance, stator leakage reactance,
rotor resistance, rotor leakage reactance, core loss resistance
and magnetising reactance, respectively. F and v represent
the per unit (pu) frequency and speed, respectively. The
reactance of the series and shunt capacitors is represented
by Xse and Xsh , respectively. The load impedance is
represented by ZL/u ¼ (RL þ jXL). The pu frequency F
and the pu speed v are defined as
f N
F¼ and v¼ (1)
fb Ns
Here, f and N are the actual operating frequency (Hz) and
rotor speed (rpm), respectively, of the generator, and fb and
Ns are the base or rated frequency (Hz) and the
corresponding synchronous speed (rpm), respectively, of the
IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2009, Vol. 3, Iss. 3, pp. 257– 265
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Figure 4 Simplified representation of the equivalent circuit

of Fig. 3
Figure 3 Per-phase equivalent circuit of a three-phase
short-shunt induction generator given by

Z 1 ¼ (R1 =F þ jX1 ) (3a)

machine. When the generator operates at a frequency other  1
1 1 1
than the base frequency, all reactances (inductive and Z 2 ¼ þ þ (3b)
capacitive) are to be adjusted accordingly. In a generic way, Rc =F jXm R2 =(F  v) þ jX2
the inductive reactances are to be multiplied by the pu  1
 1 1
frequency F and the capacitive reactances are to be divided Z3 ¼ þ (3c)
jXsh =F 2 RL =F þ jXL  jXse =F 2
by F. The circuit shown in Fig. 3 represents a generic
equivalent circuit of the generator where all parameters
The loop equation in Fig. 4 is
(resistances and reactances) and voltages are divided by the
pu frequency F, whereas the currents remain the same [3].

I 1 Z 1 þ Z 2 þ Z 3 ¼ 0 (4)
The above circuit is used in [17 – 19] for both fixed and
variable speed operations of the generator.
Under normal operating conditions, the stator current I 1 is
All parameters of the generator, except the magnetising not zero and thus
reactance, are considered as constant. The variation of
magnetising reactance Xm is the main factor in the Z 1 þ Z 2 þ Z 3 ¼ 0 (5)
process of the voltage build-up and stabilisation of the
operating point of an SEIG. The value of Xm depends Note that the above equation must be satisfied for all
on magnetic saturation or air-gap flux, which in turn operating conditions of the generator. By separating the
depends on the ratio of the air-gap voltage to frequency real and imaginary parts of (5), the following two scalar
(Vg/F ). The relationship between Vg/F and Xm can be equations can be obtained
established from the synchronous speed test results [7].
Mathematically, the above relationship can be expressed g1 ¼ real(Z 1 þ Z 2 þ Z 3 ) ¼ 0 (6)
in many ways such as a linear function [12, 20], piece-
wise linear function [9, 14], an exponential function [3] g2 ¼ imag(Z 1 þ Z 2 þ Z 3 ) ¼ 0 (7)
or a higher-order polynomial [7, 17, 21]. In this
study, Vg/F is expressed by the following third-order Note that (6) and (7) can provide the values of only the two
polynomial of Xm unknowns. However, the circuit of Fig. 3 has six unknowns
or adjustable parameters: magnetising reactance Xm , pu speed
v, pu frequency F, series capacitive reactance Xse , shunt
Vg capacitive reactance Xsh and load impedance ZL (for a given
¼ k0 þ k1 Xm þ k2 Xm2 þ k3 Xm3 (2)
F power factor). In general, (6) and (7) are simultaneously
solved to obtain the values of Xm and F for given values of v,
The coefficients of the above polynomial can easily be Xse, Xsh and ZL . The above equations, in a general form, can
obtained by applying any standard curve fitting be written as
technique to the synchronous speed test results.
G(X ) ¼ 0 (8)

Here, G ¼ [ g1 g2]T and X ¼ [Xm F]T. Once the value of Xm

3 Analysis and F are known, Vg can be evaluated through (2). The
terminal voltage V t of the generator (in Fig. 4) can be written as
The steady-state performance of an induction generator is
usually determined from its equivalent circuit. To simplify
Z 3
the analysis, the circuit of Fig. 3 is represented by three V t ¼ Vg  (9)
series impedances as shown in Fig. 4. The impedances are Z 1 þ Z 3

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Here, V g is considered as the reference (i.e. V g ¼ Vg /08). constant but depends on the load. Determination of
The load current I L (in Fig. 3) can be written as generator characteristics for such an operation requires
equating the torque–speed characteristics of the generator
V t and the prime mover and embedding it into the system of
I L ¼ (10)
RL þ j(FXL  Xse =F ) (8) or (16). This would simply increase the dimension of the
problem by one. Alghuwainem, Chen and Haque [17–19]
The active power (PL) and the reactive power (QL) absorbed by investigated the generator characteristics for such an
the load are given by operation. It may be mentioned here that, for a given
feasible set of capacitors, there is a minimum or critical
 2  2
PL ¼ 3I L  RL and QL ¼ 3I L  FXL (11) speed below which the generator would fail to build up
voltage. Al-Jabri and Alolah [22] determined the critical
The reactive power supplied by the series capacitor (Qse) and the speed of a shunt generator for both no-load and full-load
shunt capacitor (Qsh) are given by conditions. For a short-shunt generator, (8) can also be used
to determine the critical speed at no-load condition, but that
 2 requires considering v (instead of Xm) as an unknown or
 2 X 3V t 
Qse ¼ 3I L  se and Qsh ¼ (12) independent parameter and assigning the value of Xm as the
F Xsh =F corresponding unsaturated value.
The total reactive power (QT) supplied by the series and shunt
In terms of load voltage and current, the terminal voltage
capacitors is
V t of the generator can be written as
QT ¼ Qse þ Qsh (13)
V t ¼ V L þ (jXse =F )I L (17)
As mentioned earlier, an induction generator absorbs reactive
power for its excitation. Thus, for a stand-alone operation, the For a constant load voltage VL , the terminal voltage Vt depends
reactive power demand of the generator as well as the load not only on load power (or current) but also on the load power
must be supplied by the external capacitors. factor as can be seen in the phasor diagram of Fig. 5. The
above phasor diagram clearly demonstrates that the terminal
The load voltage V L in Fig. 3 can be expressed as voltage for the leading power factor is much higher than that
for the lagging power factor. Thus, for the leading power
RL þ jFXL factor, the generator operates at a higher saturation level and,
V L ¼ V t  (14)
RL þ j(FXL  Xse =F ) hence, needs more reactive power for its excitation. In this
case, the shunt capacitor also provides more reactive power
When the magnitude of the load voltage is kept constant at a because of a higher terminal voltage. The opposite is also true
sp
pre-specified value of VL , the above equation becomes for the lagging power factor.
 
 V t (RL þ jFXL )  In this study, (8) and (16) are solved using a numerical
g3 ¼    V sp ¼ 0 (15)
RL þ j(FXL  Xse =F ) L
At no-load, I L ¼ 0 and, thus, the series capacitor does not
supply reactive power. In this case, the voltage of the circuit
is determined by the shunt capacitor alone. Under load
conditions, I L = 0 and, thus, both the series and shunt
capacitors supply the reactive power and control voltage of
the circuit. For given values of v, Xse and ZL , the value of
Xsh needed to maintain the load voltage at a pre-specified
value can be determined by embedding (15) into (8).
Under this case, the system of equations becomes
GV (X ) ¼ 0 (16)
Here, GV ¼ [ g1 g2 g3]T and X ¼ [Xm F Xsh]T. In
solving (16), v, Xse and ZL are considered as fixed parameters.
Generator characteristics obtained through repeated solutions
of (16), for various values of ZL , can be used in selecting the
capacitor sizes and is discussed in Section 4.
When the generator is driven by an unregulated prime
mover, the operating speed v cannot be considered as
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& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2009
based routine ‘fsolve’ given in the optimisation toolbox of
MATLAB [23]. It uses a nonlinear least-squares algorithm
that employs the Gauss– Newton or the Lavenberg–
Marquardt method. A least-squares-based method usually
converges to a point where the residual is the minimum.
However, if the formulated problem (8) or (16) does not
have a zero (numerically) because of the selection of
unrealistic values of some parameters, the routine may still
converge to a point where the residual is the minimum but
not necessarily zero. Such a solution cannot be considered
as acceptable and it can easily be identified by evaluating
the residual at the solution point and comparing it with a
very small tolerance (say, 1026).
4 Results and discussions
The proposed method of selecting the capacitor values
is tested on a 1.5 kW, 4-pole, 50 Hz, three-phase,
Y-connected (with a phase voltage of 220 V) IM operated
as a short-shunt induction generator. The fixed parameters
of the generator are R1 ¼ 5.033 V, R2 ¼ 4.667 V,
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Figure 5 Phasor diagram of a constant load voltage operation:

a Lagging pf
b Leading pf
c Unity pf

Rc ¼ 5.0147 kV and X1 ¼ X2 ¼ 5.606 V. From the

synchronous speed test results, the coefficients of (2) are
found as k0 ¼ 596.03, k1 ¼ 212.035, k2 ¼ 0.1374 and
k3 ¼ 25.636  1024. It is considered that the generator is
driven by a regulated turbine at a constant speed of 1.0 pu
(or 1500 rpm). The simulation and experimental results
found for this generator are briefly described in the following.

First, the machine is operated as a shunt generator and the

corresponding characteristics can be obtained from the same
equations (as derived in Section 3) by setting Xse ¼ 0. For a
shunt capacitor (Csh) of 35 mF, the no-load voltage of the
generator is found as 231.5 V per phase (about 105% of rated
value). The generator is then loaded gradually at a unity power
factor (by decreasing the load impedance) and the variation of
load voltage against load power is shown in Fig. 6. The figure
indicates that the voltage initially decreases with the load, and
that represents the normal operation [24]. The above pattern
continues until the maximum power point is reached. For this
case, the generator can deliver a maximum power of 744.6 W
at which the voltage drops to 178.6 V/phase (Fig. 6). Further
reduction of the load impedance decreases both the voltage
and the power, and such a situation represents an abnormal
operation [24]. The experimental results are also shown in the
figure and are observed to be very close to the simulation
results. During simulation, the residual at the solution point is
also evaluated and its distribution is shown in Fig. 7. The
maximum residual is found to be only 1.84  10213,
indicating that the ‘fsolve’ routine successfully converged to
the numerical zero point.
Figure 6 Variation of load phase voltage against load
power of a shunt generator
‘—’ simulation results; ‘o’ experimental results
region until the power is reduced to about 600 W. When the
load impedance is decreased further, a voltage collapse occurs
indicating that the generator cannot maintain a right
saturation level to provide a sustainable voltage. However, the
operation in the normal operating region or upper part of the
P–V (power–voltage) curve is always stable, indicating that
the respective magnetising reactance can maintain the right
level of saturation. In general, a generator operates in the
normal operating region and, thus, the characteristic in the
abnormal operating region is not so important.

During the experiment, it was found that the generator can The machine is then operated as a short-shunt generator
maintain a sustainable voltage in the abnormal operating by adding the series capacitor (Cse). Fig. 8 shows the

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Figure 7 Distribution of residual at the solution point Figure 9 Variation of VD at full load against series
capacitor

observed in Fig. 9 that the minimum value of VD, for

Csh ¼ 35 mF, is 12.05% and it may be too high for many
applications. On the other hand, the minimum value of
VD for Csh ¼ 38 mF is found as 9.36% but the use of a
higher shunt capacitor increases the voltage at a light-load
or no-load condition. To maintain the load voltage in
between the upper and lower acceptable limits for the
entire operating region (from no-load to full load),
additional switched shunt capacitors may be used. The
capacitors can be turned on at higher loads when the load
voltage drops below the lower acceptable limit.

To demonstrate the above concept, consider that the

Figure 8 Variation of load phase voltage against power for
various values of series capacitor
acceptable load voltage variation is +3% of the rated value;
that is, the load voltage should be maintained in between
0.97 and 1.03 pu. Fig. 10 shows the variation of shunt
capacitor against load power (with Cse ¼ 100 mF) when the
load voltage is kept constant at 0.97 and 1.03 pu. The

variation of load voltage against load power for different

values of the series capacitor (from 50 to 200 mF in steps
of 50 mF) with a fixed shunt capacitor of 35 mF. It can be
noticed in Fig. 8 that the series capacitor not only improves
the voltage profile but also increases the maximum power
delivery capability. However, the VD at full load (or rated
power) depends on the value of the series capacitor used.
The VD at full load is defined as

VL (rated)  VL (at full load)

VD ¼  100%
VL (rated)

Fig. 9 shows the variation of VD at full load against the series

capacitor for two different values of shunt capacitors (35 and
38 mF), and it indicates that the minimum value of VD
occurs for a series capacitor of about 100 mF in both cases.
Thus, the optimal value of the series capacitor, for this Figure 10 Variation shunt capacitor against power when
generator, can be considered as 100 mF. It can also be the load voltage is kept constant

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figure is plotted from repeated solutions of (16) for different
values of ZL and is used to determine the values of fixed and
switched capacitors needed to satisfy the above voltage
criterion. It can be noticed in Fig. 10 that an initial shunt
capacitor of Co ¼ 33.43 mF (point ‘a’) is needed to obtain
the maximum acceptable voltage of 1.03 pu at no-load.
The above capacitor can maintain the load voltage within
the acceptable limits (0.97 – 1.03 pu) until the load power is
increased to P1 (¼405 W) at point ‘b’, where the voltage
decreases to the lower acceptable limit of 0.97 pu. To
increase the voltage to the upper limit of 1.03 pu at P1 , it is
necessary to increase the shunt capacitor to C1 (¼37.44 mF
at point ‘c’). Now, C1 can maintain the voltage within the
acceptable limits until the power is increased to P2
(¼882 W) at point ‘d’, where the shunt capacitor is again
increased to C2 (¼43.03 mF at point ‘e’). Similarly, C2 can
maintain the voltage within the limits up to a power of P3
(¼1353 W) at point ‘f ’, where the shunt capacitor is
further increased to C3 (¼45.00 mF) so that the minimum
voltage of 0.97 pu can be maintained at the full load of
1.5 kW.
The above discussion clearly indicates that four steps of
shunt capacitors (C0 , C1 , C2 and C3) are needed to maintain
the load voltage in between 0.97 and 1.03 pu for the entire
operating range. Table 1 summarises the number of steps as
well as the value of the shunt capacitor in each step for
various values of VD, and it indicates that only two steps of
the shunt capacitor are required when a VD of +5% is
considered. That is, an initial fixed capacitor of
C0 ¼ 34.85 mF and an additional switched capacitor of 8 mF
(¼42.85 234.85 mF) are needed (Table 1). However, if the
machine is operated as a shunt generator, four steps of the
shunt capacitor are needed for the same VD of +5% [25].
Thus, in the case of short-shunt, the number of switched
capacitors is reduced (from three to one) by using a fixed
series capacitor, and that would significantly reduce the cost
and complexity of the voltage regulator. It is worth
Table 1 Number and values of stepped capacitors needed
for various values of VD
Voltage No. of Capacitor value in mF in each
deviation steps step (Power in W at the
transition point)
2% 6 32.81, 35.18, 38.19, 41.93,
46.01, 46.06 (258, 553, 873,
1189, 1465)
3% 4 33.43, 37.44, 43.03, 45.0 (405,
882, 1353)
4% 3 34.11, 40.16, 43.93 (569, 1212)
5% 2 34.85, 42.85 (750)
6% 2 35.64, 41.75 (944)
7% 2 36.48, 40.64 (1138)
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mentioning here that a shunt capacitor branch usually have a
large current surge at switching when connected to an ideal
voltage source with zero impedance. However, for an
induction generator, the current surge would not be so large
because of the stator impedance (especially reactance) and
the smaller size of capacitors. The current surge can further
be reduced by using a small surge current limiting reactor in
series with the capacitor [26].
Fig. 11 shows the variation of load voltage against load
power with two steps of the shunt capacitor (as described
above for a VD of +5%), and it clearly indicates that the
load voltage is always maintained in between the lower and
upper acceptable limits (0.95 – 1.05 pu or 209 – 231 V) in
the entire operating range. The experimental results are also
shown in the figure and are observed to be slightly higher
but very close to the corresponding simulation results. It
may be mentioned here that the nearest capacitor values
(i.e. 35 and 43 mF instead of 34.85 and 42.85 mF,
respectively) were used in the experiment. In addition, the
series and shunt capacitors used in the experiment had a
tolerance level of +5%. The author believes that the above
factors are the main reasons for having slight discrepancies
in simulation and experimental results. The variations of
the stator current (I1), load current (IL) and shunt capacitor
current (IC) against the load power are shown in Fig. 12,
and it again indicates that the experimental results are close
to the corresponding simulation results. Note that the
generator was loaded only up to 1.2 kW because of the
power limitation of the prime mover used in the experiment.
The characteristics of the generator for a VD of +3% are
also evaluated for three different load power factors (0.98
lagging, 0.98 leading and unity). A summary of stepped
capacitors needed for this purpose is given in Table 2. As
mentioned earlier that, for a constant load voltage, the
generator operates at a higher saturation level for the
Figure 11 Variation of load phase voltage against power
for a maximum VD of +5%
‘—’ simulation results; ‘o’ experimental results
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Figure 14 Variation of total capacitive reactive power for

various power factors
Figure 12 Variation of various currents against power for a
maximum VD of +5%
‘—’ simulation results; ‘o’ experimental results
leading power factor. The similar situation can also be
expected when the load voltage is maintained in between
the upper and lower limits. The variation of the terminal
voltage and the total capacitive reactive power against the
Table 2 Number and values of stepped capacitors needed
load power for various power factors is shown in Figs. 13
for various power factors with a VD of +3%
and 14, respectively. The above figures clearly indicate that
Power No. of Capacitor value in mF in each both the terminal voltage and the capacitive reactive power
factor steps step (Power in W at the are usually higher for the leading power factor compared
transition point) with the cases of the lagging or unity power factors, as
expected.
0.98 5 33.43, 36.59, 40.19, 44.78, 45.24
(lagging) (294, 620, 1012, 1467)
0.98 4 33.43, 38.67, 44.73, 45.34 (525, 5 Conclusions
(leading) 1003, 1456)
A simple method of selecting the values of fixed and switched
unity 4 33.43, 37.44, 43.03, 45.0 (405, capacitors needed in a short-shunt induction generator to
882, 1353) satisfy a desired voltage criterion is described. First, the
value of the fixed shunt capacitor is selected in such a
manner that the no-load voltage does not exceed the upper
limit. The size of the series capacitor is then selected to
obtain the minimum VD at the full-load condition. If the
minimum VD is beyond the lower acceptable limit,
switched shunt capacitors can be used to improve the
voltage profile. The number and the values of the switched
shunt capacitors are then determined from the capacitor
against the power characteristics of the generator under
constant voltage (at upper and lower limits) operations. The
equations required to obtain such characteristics are also
derived and solved using the ‘fsolve’ routine given in
MATLAB. The effectiveness of the proposed method is
then evaluated on a three-phase, 1.5 kW induction
generator. The simulation results obtained by the proposed
method are also compared with the corresponding actual
values found through an experimental setup and are
observed to be in very good agreement. It is also found that
the number of switched shunt capacitors needed in a short-
shunt generator is much less than that of a simple shunt
Figure 13 Variation of terminal voltage for various power generator, and that would definitely reduce the cost and
factors complexity of the voltage regulator.

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