Engineers at Ramboll have developed a new grid-stabilization technology intended to address a growing source of power system instability: the increasing number and diversity of generation resources connected to aging transmission infrastructure. The technology, called the Universal Damping STATCOM (patent pending), is designed to mitigate voltage oscillations that can arise as renewable energy, storage and other power electronics-based resources are added to the grid. The Universal Damping STATCOM is intended to provide a more adaptive alternative. “One of the biggest challenges in adopting renewable energy is the cost of maintaining grid reliability. By preventing oscillations before they escalate into system-wide disturbances, the Universal Damping STATCOM is intended to reduce outage frequency and duration.