Preliminary Study of Wind Farm-Grid Connection: A Nigerian Power System Test Case

Abstract

The interest in renewable energies (RE) is increasing globally. The efficiency of power systems largely depends on the type of generators and the method of power transfer. Therefore, the optimal power transfer from generation to the load centers is crucial. Wind energy distinguishes out among other REs owing to its high power generation and technical advancement. In this paper, an offshore wind farm-grid connection assessment for different topologies at varying voltage levels is presented. The fault infeed of various transmission options was investigated using the MVA method. Three voltage levels, namely, 33, 66, 132 kV for HVAC, and HVDC were considered. The short-circuit currents computed for the three voltage levels are 0.42, 1.26, and 3.41kA for the HVAC; and 0.30, 0.32, and 0.34kA for the HVDC indicating that fault infeed increases rapidly with increasing voltage level for the HVAC topology.