Grid Services with Wind Turbines and the Resulting Mechanical Loads

Dear Colleagues,

Wind power penetration is steadily increasing in power systems around the globe. Therefore, wind turbines are no longer passive power sources; instead, they have to provide grid services. Most of these services revolve around grid stability, i.e., frequency stability and voltage stability. Wind turbines have to contribute to small signal stability as well as transient stability.

In addition, other services like mitigating harmonic distortion or flicker, as well as preventing the thermal overloading of grid equipment, or even black start capabilities, might be demanded from wind turbines.

All of these services require that wind turbines have to adapt their power infeed, both active and reactive, to the needs of the grid. Hence, the power is no longer passively driven by the prevailing wind at the rotor. Some of these grid services can be delivered by the wind turbine alone; others involve energy storages or interaction with other power generators.

Traditionally, the design of wind turbine controllers is aimed at reducing mechanical loads in the wind turbine and, at the same time, at increasing the energy yield. Now, the required grid services also have to be taken into account by the wind turbine controller. In many cases, grid services cause an increase of mechanical loads, or a decrease in the energy yield, sometimes even both. Increased mechanical loads cause a reduced service life of the wind turbine, or require a stronger design of the mechanical structure. Both options have a direct impact on the levelized cost of energy of the wind turbine.

This Special Issue covers research on the following topics:

• Grid services with wind turbines
• Grid services with wind turbines in combination with energy storages, or in combination with other generators
• Impact of grid services on the mechanical loads in wind turbines
• Impact of grid services on the levelized cost of wind energy
• Impact of the grid services provided by wind turbines on the stability and operation of the affected grid

Prof. Dr. Clemens Jauch
Guest Editor

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