Turbine power quality testing helps offshore wind meet grid code requirements, mitigate issues, and boost performance

As the wind energy market grows, it is ever more essential to characterize and verify how turbines perform on power quality. This need is being driven by grid codes becoming stricter. In addition, requirements for low-voltage ride-through (LVRT), high-voltage ride-through (HVRT), flickers and harmonics are tightening, making it harder for wind turbines to comply.

Comprehensive electrical measurements

DNV’s electrical testing for turbines and associated systems provides assurance and guidance that customers need in this shifting regulatory landscape. We test components to ensure they work and help identify how to improve them. 

Working with relevant technical parties and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), we subject turbines to a wide range of tests to show how they behave in many varying situations. We test against multiple international guidelines, including FGW TR3, IEC 61400-21, IEEE 1453, 519, VDE 4105, CEA 2019, and TSO requirements. We present the comprehensive electrical measurements in reports enabling customers to:

  • Verify if a specific component complies with specific grid codes
  • Understand and improve how it performs
  • Characterize its performance for a power-flow/grid-connection study
  • Identify and mitigate issues related to harmonics, turbine tripping, and so on
  • Conduct testing – of over voltage ride-through, protection relay, and commissioning

Reputation matters in testing

DNV is a known and trusted name worldwide for electrical testing. This means that our clients, their customers, and other stakeholders can have full confidence in the results we provide. 

Our services are available globally, with local experts providing fast, personal support wherever needed. 

Drawing on our wide range of expertise, we work closely with customers to create tailored test plans to measure component performance. This streamlines the entire process, and ensures accurate, reliable results that will be trusted by any party.

Comparing laboratories

The international standard IEC17025 recommends Inter Laboratory Comparison (ILC) to gauge how the quality of deliverables varies between measurement laboratories. 

For example, DNV participated successfully in the National Institute of Wind Energy’s (NIWE) recently concluded ILC of electrical measurements in India. 

The NIWE’s ILC was based on IEC 61400-21-1 – for measuring and assessing electrical characteristics of wind turbines. The same data was provided to different measurement labs in India. The results that DNV submitted were well in line with the Institute’s expectations. 

NIWE has expressed appreciation of DNV’s role in assisting with the ILC, which the Institute described as having shown exceptional performance. 

DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2022 report expects solar and wind to generate an increasing amount of electricity in the Indian subcontinent starting from the 2030s. By 2050, their combined share in total electricity generation will be 67%. As much as 1.4 TW of new solar and wind capacity is expected to be added in the region from 2030 to 2040, followed by an additional 2 TW between 2040 and 2050.

6/29/2023 10:00:00 AM