Performance of a Wind Turbine Connected to a Weak Rural Network

摘要

As the cost of electricity generated from the wind power steadily reduces, individual wind turbines and small wind farms embedded in the 1 1kV distribution network are increasingly commercially viable. Suitable sites for wind turbines are frequently remote from centres of population, where the nearest electrical connection point has a very low fault level. A two month monitoring study was carried out on a wind turbine connected to the Northern Ireland Electricity network to establish the extent of the difficulties which are likely to be faced by this type of wind power installation. With a fault level of only 12MVA, a high annual mean wind speed of 9m/s, and a turbulence intensity of 12.5%, the chosen site provided a combination of the least favourable circumstances for the quality of output power from a wind turbine. The effect of the wind turbine on steady state and dynamic voltage variations, and on network voltage unbalance was examined. The results were compared with the predictions of a commercial power systems analysis package, and good agreement was established.