Grid Interconnection of

Wind Turbines
Presentation to GERC
Ahmedabad
07.02.09

M.P.RAMESH, former Executive Director

Centre for Wind Energy Technology
 GERC posers
• GERC has put up the following questions:
– Intra-state grids
– Interstate regional grid
– Bulk quantity of wind/solar inputs in ‘low load
areas’ impact assessment
– Increasing wind/solar inputs - need for
backing down ?
– Limits?
 GERC Posers
• What are problems associated with wind power &
commercial implications?
• Technologies for scheduling/dispatch
• On-line monitoring
• Solar power generation
• Relevance of intra-state grid connectivity for
major wind & solar energy inputs
• Some insight into the wind potential in GUJRAT
 Some history
• Gujarat is THE FIRST STATE which experimented
with grid connected wind turbines.
• The state also was the first state to have
‘commercial wind farm’ at Mandvi.
• The state’s wind map shows second highest
potential nearly everywhere adding up to 10645
MW (installed) based on certain assumptions.
• CWET/MNRE would be getting the atlas prepared
for India shortly. We would then have a more
comprehensive idea about the possibilities.
Installable Wind Power potential in India (2006 estimate)
 WPD Potential
BASI
range JASWANTHGAD
(MW)
SAWA

200-250 7216
UNDARI

(red) BARI SADRI

DHROBANA
DAMOTAR
TAGA KHERWADA

250-300 2842
SISODA DEVGARH
JAMANVADA NANDLI AHADA

ADESAR
(violet) MAMATKHE
SIVALAKHA CHORASIA
MOTI SINDHOLI BODHINA
KUKMA VANDHYA
POLADIYA KERA SINUGRA SURAJBARI PADSOLI

BAYATH SINAI
WARSHAMEDI
300-400 587
GUJ ARAT (green)
MUNDRA RATABHE KAWASA

DAHOD
JHABUA
OKHA LIMBARA MACHALIYA GHAT
SUVARDA BAMANBORE 1 MESARIA
BAMANBORE 2

OKHAMADHI
HARIPAR
GALA PAREWADA
DHANDHALPUR
MAHIDAD
Total 10645 KH

KALYANPUR BHANDARIYA SADODAR

NAVADRA GODLADHAR
LAMBA BUTAVADAR ROJMAL
MOTA DADAWA
HARSHAD NANI KUNDAL
DHANK 2
DHANK 1 KAGAVAD
AMRAPAR (SETH)

NAVI BANDER VALIYARPANI

SANODAR SENDHVA
KHAMBADA KAMRAVAD
JASAPAR
AMRAPAR (GIR)
CHAKLA
Wind farming DUMDHA BRAHMANVEL
JAFRABAD
areas
VERAVAL TAKARMAULI
VELAN RAIPUR
DANDI

SAPUTARA

SAPTHASRINGIGAD

MALEGAON KARIYAT THOKA

THOKALWADI PANHAL SATHE
 Gujarat wind Potential
• It is seen that a large part of
Gujarat has moderate wind
potential.
• But for a few pockets, the wind
turbines would have good steady
winds during monsoon months.
• A well defined May to August
SW high wind season & a
moderate NE wind season
during December-January.
• Year on year variations are
well with in reasonable limits
• Wind power quite evenly
distributed across the State.
 Some time scales in grid
•
management
There are four levels in
grid management.
– Unit commitment – which
works on a scale of days
– Scheduling needed on a day
upon day basis
– Load following which has a
time scale of minutes to hours
– Regulation which happen over
seconds to minutes
• We need to understand that
it is a complex issue and
needs detailed analysis
either to accept or reject an
idea.
 Evacuation – The big
picture –
Northern & Southern
Grids

NR

NER

Freq - 1 ER

WR

- 5 Regional Networks in the Country

Freq - 2
- Currently 4 Regional Networks
SR merged
INDIA CURRENTLY OPERATING AT
“TWO” FREQUENCIES – NORTH &
SOUTH
INTER-REGIONAL EXISTING
CAPACITIES
INTER-REGIONAL PROPOSED CAPACITIES BY
2011-12

NORTHERN
4600 REGION
13450
MW NORTH-
MWER EASTERN
REGION

6450 MW 1000 MW
EASTER
WESTERN N
REGION REGION

1300
MW 3700
MW
Weak link SOUTHER 30,000 MW OF INTER-REGIONAL
N REGION POWER BY 2011 -12

“NO Augmentation” proposed

between “Southern & Northern”
Grids SOURCE : CEA
 Impact on grid and associated
equipment
• As such, wind turbines and associated equipments are designed to
take care of each and every eventualities that the installations
would be subjected over their service life.
• Double redundant safety systems including electrical equipments
are a ‘type certification’ requirement.
• In India it is not possible to grid connect wind turbines which do
not have a valid type certificate.
• Therefore a wind farm would work much like a standard power
plant in all respects.
• The problems of first generation wind turbines have been very
largely addressed in the modern wind turbines.
• MODERN WIND TURBINES MEET THE MOST STRINGENT GRID
REQUIREMENTS FOR SAFE OPERATION.
 Impact on grid and associated
equipment

• After the area and capacity of a given wind farm are

decided, Wind farm design preceded by detailed load
flow analysis, impacts of voltage & frequency
excursions, harmonics, seamless power factor controls
and optimised.
• There are wind turbines which have facility to provide
leading pfs if required.
• Wind farm Substations are built to meet strict standards
laid down by the TRANSCos.
 Backing down Thermal ?
• The question of backing down of thermal power
stations due to presence of large wind is open ended.
It is a combination of many factors.
• In a surplus power supply system there could be a
need to back-down some flexible generation facility
(Hydro/gas based system for example).
• In our context, when grid frequency is < 50 hz, there
will be some margins that takes care of the so-called
infirm power.
• Therefore in all likely hood there may be no need to
back down thermal stations.
• If we integrate different regions effectively,
flexibility would improve so that resources could
be utilized far more efficiently.
 Is there any limit?
• In Denmark presently about 21 % of energy consumed is
supplied by wind turbines alone.
• Penetrations of wind power into local grids have at times
gone upto 60 % in good windy season.
• In Tamilnadu we have over 4000 MW against 12000 MW of
the so called firm power. That is about 33% on installed
power basis. If we consider a 50% plf in high wind season,
we are looking at a penetration level of18% on an average.
• As such there is no limit. It essentially depends on
resources and grid management strategies.
 Infirm power?
• EB Comments from a state that has topped the Wind
Power deployment for decades has this to say:
“….. while occasionally the wind slows down in one
location leading to decreased output in a particular
location (also within the particular pass itself, the
wind mills are installed over a radius of 30 to 40
KM), locations with high penetration of wind
energy would compensate for the same. As a result,
it typically takes much time or even hours for the
total wind energy output of a region to change
significantly. This makes it relatively easy for the
utility system operators to accommodate these
changes without relying on the reserves i.e. slowly
taking the tag of ‘infirm power’ out of wind
energy”.
 Effect of aggregation
• Just to illustrate the observations of the
EB engineers some sample wind farms in
Karnataka were chosen.
• A total capacity of about 300 MW from
three areas within a radius of 50 km were
considered.
• Real time data from these wind farms
have been collected and the outputs
summed up to on a 24 hour basis during
high wind month and a moderate wind
month.
Though there is much variation,
the ramp-up & ramp down
happens over several hours
 Some observations
• With more and more wind farms
coming on stream from different
geographical locations, the averaging
effect will be even more pronounced.
• The changes in delivered power are
not drastic and sudden.
• It provides time to the system
manager to take corrective measures
 Technologies available for
scheduling/dispatching
• A system manager has to continuously monitor both the
supplies and loads.
• While supplies could be controlled to some extent, loads can
only be anticipated and corrective measures taken.
• In this dynamic situation it is important to note that it is a
balancing act with or without wind/solar power on the grid.
• With wind having its variability, the management would
have to be only slightly more innovative.
• There are emerging technologies to forecast in short term
(horizon of 60 hours).
• Validation and implementation is some distance away.
 Some
forecast
results

It may be seen that the general trends are

predicted with some degree of uncertainty.

There are issues of input data for such exercises

such as outputs of Global Circulation Models.
Accuracies of input data for GCMs etc. are again
sources of errors.
It is a well known fact that the model outputs will
come with uncertainties and validation takes some
time, funds and effort.
 On-line monitoring
• Online monitoring of wind turbines is a reality
of the day. It is not uncommon in new wind
farms. They are specifically designed SCADA
systems used to centrally monitor and control
wind farms in a given area.
• It is possible to obtain near – online info from
wind farms in a limited way.
• Though theoretically it is possible to have GSM
connectivity, V-SAT terminals etc.., bandwidth
related issues still exist.
 Intra-grid
• Studies have shown that it is most desirable
to have these connectivity's in place.
• In the context of RE technologies, it would
add some more flexibility to the local grid
management to have conduits to bigger
networks.
• Inter-regional exchange of power has larger
and generally positive ramifications.
• It is much like the ‘golden quadrilateral’ which
has virtually revolutionized connectivity to
rural India.
• Thank You for your attention.