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Project
Dynamic Grid Support by Wind Farms: Potential of Rotating Kinetic Energy
Since the beginning of this century, Renewable Energy Sources for Electricity (RES-E) and mostly wind power have gained a huge momentum and arecontinuously triggering new stability challenges. The rising capacity of RES-E in the generation mix already poses challenges to current operation of power systems and subsequently sets the direction for new approaches to control them. This dissertation deals with operational problems, primarily arising during
favorable weather conditions for RES-E and low demand. During such conditions, the framework for system operation oftoday sets limits to the instantaneous output of RES-E because system operators rely on conventional power plants to provide the necessary gridsupport. The pursuit for a generation mix with quasi only RES-E requires the provision of support by RES-E. Subsequently, the focus of this dissertation is on enabling RES-E, with a significant share of Variable Speed Wind Turbines (VSWTs) in the provision of grid support, preserving the same level of power system stability.
This dissertation firstly analyzes the impact of proposed support modes of VSWTs on grid stability. Dynamic voltage and frequency support modes are evaluated in grid topologies hosting a rising share of wind power. Such studies show that the effectiveness of supporting modes is highly dependent on the specific grid topology. Additionally, the resulting interaction with other grid
elements, such as induction motors and load shedding schemes, providesnew insights to fine-tune the support by wind turbines in the future.
Secondly, the potential of rotating kinetic energy in VSWTs is evaluated to smooth power variations from large wind farms, or to assist inthe task of system frequency regulation. To this end, an optimization framework is constructed to calculate the trade-off between maximizing energy yield and smoothing power or frequency variations. The results showa significant potential for smoothing that benefits both from the coordination among individual turbines and from forecasting the prevailing wind.
favorable weather conditions for RES-E and low demand. During such conditions, the framework for system operation oftoday sets limits to the instantaneous output of RES-E because system operators rely on conventional power plants to provide the necessary gridsupport. The pursuit for a generation mix with quasi only RES-E requires the provision of support by RES-E. Subsequently, the focus of this dissertation is on enabling RES-E, with a significant share of Variable Speed Wind Turbines (VSWTs) in the provision of grid support, preserving the same level of power system stability.
This dissertation firstly analyzes the impact of proposed support modes of VSWTs on grid stability. Dynamic voltage and frequency support modes are evaluated in grid topologies hosting a rising share of wind power. Such studies show that the effectiveness of supporting modes is highly dependent on the specific grid topology. Additionally, the resulting interaction with other grid
elements, such as induction motors and load shedding schemes, providesnew insights to fine-tune the support by wind turbines in the future.
Secondly, the potential of rotating kinetic energy in VSWTs is evaluated to smooth power variations from large wind farms, or to assist inthe task of system frequency regulation. To this end, an optimization framework is constructed to calculate the trade-off between maximizing energy yield and smoothing power or frequency variations. The results showa significant potential for smoothing that benefits both from the coordination among individual turbines and from forecasting the prevailing wind.
Date:28 Sep 2009 → 5 May 2014
Keywords:DFIG, direct-drive, large scale wind park, grid integration, wind power
Disciplines:Modelling, Multimedia processing
Project type:PhD project