Analysis of power quality and improvement techniques of grid connected wind power plant(case study: 3MW pilot wind power plant Hambantota)

Abstract

Analysis of Power Quality and Improvement Techniques of Grid Connected Wind Power Plant (Case Study: 3MW Pilot Wind Power Plant-Hambantota) Wind Electricity Generation has come to the foremost form of renewable energy conversion method in the modern world. At the same time critics raise their concerns over the intermittency associated with wind power and its implications on national grids all over the world. There are various methods of grid integration of wind energy which has its own draw backs and advantages. One of the major concerns is the effect on national grid due to power quality issues associated with wind power generation. Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) commissioned the country’s first ever grid connected wind power plant in 1999 in Hambantota. Since then number of wind farms have been commissioned and grid connected. These wind farms employs different power conversion technologies. Accordingly the power quality issues presented at the point of grid interconnection also assume different forms. The main objectives of this research is to identify and assess the power quality issues pose by Hambantota wind farm and compare with latest developed wind power conversion technologies. The problems found with the Hambantota wind plant were power factor, reactive power consumption, harmonics, flicker and the voltage distortions level at the existing distribution feeder. To investigate the above problems, it has been carried out data collection on Power production, Power Factor, Reactive Power absorption, Voltage variations, Harmonics and Flicker at the point of common coupling of Hambnatota Plant. With the collected 10 minutes average data, graphically presented the performance of the wind plant and compared the same with newly commissioned Vidathamuni/Seguwanthiu Plants at Puttalama. With the above study, it can be concluded that the Power Factor and the Reactive Power Consumption of the Hambantota Wind Plant has to be improved. Present days, Flexible AC Transmission (FACT) devices are developed and widely coming to the power system improvements. It is capable of correcting Power Factor and Reactive Power Requirement in Real Time Basis and virtually acts as a Synchronous Condenser (STATCOM-Static Synchronous Var Compensator). Therefore, a FACT device named PQC-STATCOM available in the market has been introduced to be installed at the point of common coupling of the Hambantota Wind Plant.