Unlike traditional power generating plants built around a few generating units with very high rating in a single location, wind farms derive their power from many smaller generators spread out over a large area. Wind farms rely on a system of underground medium voltage cables, called the collector system (see Figure 1), to deliver the power from the generators to the substation. In order for wind farms to achieve high availability, the collector circuits must reliably deliver the generated energy to the substation. To achieve a reliable collector system, wind farm owners need a way to assure the reliability before commissioning and throughout the life time of the plant. Although some wind farms have learned the hard way and have lost millions in generating revenue and repair activities, others have taken advantage of latest IEEE standards, partial discharge (PD) diagnostic technology, and a rigorous acceptance protocol, and are now operating with very high availability. This paper describes how to implement a successful cable reliability assurance process which assure collector system reliability for the life of the plant.
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