A Study on Directly Interconnected Offshore Wind Systems during Wind Gust Conditions

An investigation of the effects of wind gusts on the directly interconnected wind generators is reported, and techniques toward the mitigation of the wind gust negative influences have been proposed. Using a directly interconnected system approach, wind turbine generators are connected to a single synchronous bus or collection grid without the use of power converters on each turbine. This bus can then be transformed for transmission onshore using High Voltage Alternating Current, Low-Frequency Alternating Current or High Voltage Direct Current techniques with shared power conversion resources onshore connecting the farm to the grid. Analysis of the potential for instability in transient conditions on the wind farm, for example, caused by wind gusts is the subject of this paper. Gust magnitude and rise time/fall time are investigated. Using pitch control and the natural damping of the high inertial offshore system, satisfactory overall system performance and stability can be achieved during these periods of transience.