1. Long-duration voltage variations are caused by too much impedance in the power delivery system, which causes voltage to drop under heavy loads and rise under light loads.
2. Solutions to improve voltage regulation include adding shunt capacitors, static VAR compensation, series capacitors on transmission lines, voltage regulators, and increasing conductor sizes to reduce impedance.
3. Flicker is caused by load changes, induction motor starting, and variable power generation. It can be observed and is dependent on the size of the flicker source, system impedance, and frequency of voltage fluctuations. Static VAR compensators like thyristor-controlled reactors and thyristor-switched capacitors can help mitigate flicker.