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Figure I: Single connection cost versus wind farm size
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Figure 2: Single connection cost versus shorelink cable length
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Figure 3: Joint connection cost versus combined sin
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5 Conclusion
A methodology for the economic evaluation of offshore wind
farm connection options has been described, which builds on
that in [6] and explicitl y takes account of HYDC as a possible
connection option.
The method has been applied to the evaluation of UK Round
Two offshore wind farm connections. The results indicate that
for the sizes and distances to shore proposed, the cost of a
132kY ac connection generally does not exceed that of either
a 245kY ac connection or a 150kY dc connection. The excep
tions are two wind farms that are both larger and further from
the shore than the rest, where the 245kY ac and HYDC options
emerge as markedly superior. However, our overall conclu
sion favours the 132kY ac connection option for the majority
of sites, as the inherent risks are lower and developers are able
to benefit from standard plant items that are in a more mature
phase of development.
Certain cases have been identifed in which a joint connection
is more economic than individual connections. Such joint con
nections, with an offshore point of common coupling, are a
frst step toward the concept of an offshore grid; however, these
connections remain radial in nature. Ofshore interconnections
between wind farms to form a meshed grid are not considered
economically justifable at this stage of offshore development,
even though such connections may improve reliability and re
duce losses. There are also numerous commercial and regula
tory issues that must be resolved hefore practical joint connec
tions can be pursued. Further investigations are warranted into
tne economics of an offshore grid as the ofshore wind industry
develops further.
While the present analysis recommends in favour of 132kY ac
connections for the majority of the UK Round Two wind farms,
this is necessarily contingent on the current state of the 3r. It is
likely that the cost of 245kY ac cable will reduce as it becomes
more widely used, increasing the economic attractiveness of
the higher-voltage option, particularl y where joint connections
are warranted.
The technology for YSC-HYDC is still in a state of fux, and
it is possible that costs will be driven down signifcantly in fu
ture through growth of the market and competition hetween
manufacturers, as well as through ongoing advances in power
electronic technology. We note however the theoretical possi
bility that a three-core XPE cable rated for 150MW at 132kY
ac can, if appropriately specifed at the outset, be converted
to carry 250MW at 150kY dc in bipole confguration with a
neutral conductor [2]. Wile further investigation is required
into the precise design requirements, the option may exist to
design a wind farm for the present-day optimal 132kY ac con-
figuration, and later connect a second stage using the same ca
ble infrastructure converted for HYDe.
Although other aspects of wind farm electrical design, such as
collector system optimisation, are outside the scope of this pa
per, these are also open to study via the model proposed here.
240
Likewise, the possible interconnection of offshore wind instal
lations with future marine renewables projects is a fruitful sub
ject for further investigation, for which the present model and
study results serve as a template.
Acknowledgements
The work leading to this paper was commissioned by the Re
new abIes Advisory Board of the Department of Trade and In
dustry (DTI), UK.
References
[1] Gunnar Asplund. Sustainable energy systems with HYDC
transmission. Technical report, ABB Power Technologies,
2002.
[2] Paulo Fischer de Toledo. Feasibility of HYDC for city in
feed. Master's thesis, Royal Institute of Technology, Stock
holm, Sweden, 203.
[3] Paul Gardner. Offshore wind energy: Resources, technol
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[4] Econnect Ltd. Study on the development of the ofshore
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[5] Anna-Karin Skytt, Per Holmberg, and Lars-Erik Juhlin.
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