SUMMARY
An optimal subsynchronous damping control (SSDC) of static var compensator (SVC) is designed using genetic algorithm and simulated annealing, to mitigate the multimodal subsynchronous resonance of a practical multi‐machine series‐compensated transmission system. The SSDC comprises independent modal control paths, each with separate feedback gains and phase shifts, to damp various torsional modes. The control‐design task of simultaneously tuning all the control parameters for robust stabilization of multiple torsional modes under various system conditions is formulated into a constrained optimization problem, which, by using the proposed genetic algorithm and simulated annealing, is efficiently solved and the SVC‐SSDC optimized. Eigenvalue analyses on the basis of the electromagnetic system model as well as real‐time digital simulation using the DSP‐implemented controllers have been conducted on the test system to validate the proposed approach and the designed hardware SVC‐SSDC. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.