Series or Shunt Capacitor

Voltage Boost:

Shunt Capacitor: Evenly distributed over transmission line.

Series Capacitor: -----------------------I  I-------------------------
                                                   V1            V2
                                     Sudden change of voltage

• Shunt Capacitor improves power factor of the load whereas Series capacitor has little effect on pf.
• For long transmission line, where total reactance is high, series capacitors are effective for improvement of system stability.