A GE WEBINAR

Understanding Harmonic
Filters for Renewable Energy
Applications
In this webinar, Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy
Applications, we discuss how the proliferation of distributed energy
resources has brought unique challenges around reactive power capacity and
the dimensioning of harmonic filters. Learn how understanding and adapting
for these specific needs can help improve power factor correction and system
performance.
Need a recap of the webinar Q&A? Scan the top questions and answers from
the session …

LET’S GO!
 Top 10 Questions from the Webinar
Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy Applications
Question
What are the key trends you’re seeing in power quality
in renewable energy applications?
Solar power plant requirements are generally 33kV
20 Mvar - 35 Mvar in steps of 5 Mvar. How can this
be achieved in open-rack construction (multi-stage
switching)?
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Answer
From a manufacturer’s point of view, the need of power quality products is increasing. In some installations, all available headroom is being
used for power quality issues. This can lead to strict limits being imposed on new installations in order to obtain required network stability and
quality.
In some locations, national network operators have defined reactive power limits to each connection point to the network. This means that if
the local network operator has many connection points to the national grid, it is no longer allowed to have common reactive power balance.
Each point has its own balance, and each connection point must be individually compensated. This leads to smaller unit sizing, so filter bank
capacity is decreasing.
With modern renewable plants, the need for fundamental frequency compensation power is also decreasing. This is due to the development
of converters and other technology used in the plants. In some cases, there is no need for fundamental frequency compensation power; the
need is only to filter harmonics. With passive components, this means that the reactive power produced by the filter must be compensated
with an additional shunt reactor. Another option is to use active filters or STATCOM to do the filtering.
A 5 Mvar step size is good compensation power for the 33 kV voltage level. This level of power requires 12 capacitor units while a 10 Mvar bank
requires 12 or 18 capacitor units. A 15 Mvar capacitor bank needs 18 to 30 capacitor units, depending on the environmental conditions and type
of bank.
It is important to first determine if there are harmonics in the network. Simulations or field measurements are needed to verify harmonic
content. If there are harmonics in the network, capacitor bank steps need detuning reactors. If there are no harmonics and none are anticipated
in the future, the capacitor bank steps require only damping reactors. In this application, the total compensation power is divided into smaller
steps. This means that damping reactors are needed in every case since there is now more than one capacitor bank connected into the same
busbar.
To obtain compensation power steps of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 Mvar, the total compensation power must be divided into three banks. The
first bank will be 5 Mvar, the second bank will be 10 Mvar and the third will be 15 Mvar. With these three banks, it is possible to have all the
combinations described above. All capacitor banks require their own circuit breaker. Capacitor banks need approximately five minutes (when
following IEC standards) reconnection time between switching the bank off and back on. After these five minutes, the bank’s residual voltage
will be a maximum of 20% of the rated voltage. If there is a need for faster response time, additional voltage transformers may be required for
quick discharge.
Each capacitor bank step layout measures approximately between 3m x 5m and 3m x 7m, depending on the bank power. A 5 Mvar bank is the
smallest, and a 15 Mvar bank is largest. The height of the bank is approximately 4 to 5m.
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 Top 10 Questions from the Webinar
Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy Applications
Question
Our projects vary from a few MW to 100 MW of
renewable power. Are capacitor banks scalable?
Why is it necessary to make field measurements? What
is the time frame of the measurements?
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Answer
Capacitor units are like building blocks. They can be connected in different ways to obtain the required power and voltage rating. From our
experience, the typical connection voltage for a compensation bank in renewables is 33 kV. At this voltage, there is a lower limit for practical
compensation power. The minimum compensation power should be approximately 2-3 Mvar to be economically practical. Below this power,
there will be technical problems that increase the capacitor cost per kvar ratio. There is no practical upper limit on compensation power.
Capacitor banks can also be expanded afterwards as long as this is considered in the design of the bank with open slots for additional capacitor
units.
Capacitor banks can only be used for fixed compensation. It is possible to have some adjustment by dividing the total compensation power into
smaller steps, but the reconnection time is slower. Dynamic compensation schemes require a STATCOM, SVC or some other dynamic solution.
In many cases, it is difficult to approximate harmonic content in an electrical network without measurements. In bigger projects, like windfarms
or large industrial sites, it typically is possible to do the studies beforehand as the detailed network model is available for the feeding network
and the site. In some cases, the model is not available for the feeding network or the site under construction. It is also possible that the site
where the harmonic content is to be defined is already built. In these cases, the best approach is to conduct site measurements to determine
the harmonic content.
Measurements should be done with an appropriate power quality analyzer calibrated according to manufacturer instructions. Since there are
changes in the electrical network between day and night, and between weekdays and weekends, the time frame of the measurement must be
long enough to get a comprehensive reading. As a rule of thumb, the measurement period should last at least one week.
When the measurement is complete, the results should be analyzed with caution in case the worst case is not recorded in this measurement
cycle. It is impossible to say that all network scenarios have happened during a single measurement period. With this in mind, adding some
margin to the measured results to obtain the harmonic levels used for filter dimensioning is recommended. The amount of reserve needed
depends on the application, site location and other variables, making it impossible to give recommendations about the amount of reserve
needed.
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 Top 10 Questions from the Webinar

Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy Applications

Question Answer

How is high frequency filtering achieved? High frequency filtering is made with wide band filters. There are two main filter types for this application: second order high pass damped
filters or C-type filters. The difference between these two is that with a C-type filter, a second capacitor is added in series with the reactor. The
additional capacitor and reactor form a series resonance with the fundamental frequency. This resonance reduces fundamental frequency
losses as the fundamental frequency current will not go through the resistor connected in parallel to the reactor and additional capacitor.

The impedance curve of a wide-band filter is wide. Resistor resistance affects the impedance curve: A smaller resistance in ohms leads to a
wider impedance curve. Accordingly, a smaller resistance will also lead to better filtering in higher frequencies. The downside to this is that a low
resistance value will lead to poorer filtering characteristic in tuning the frequency of the filter, as well as higher total losses.

The filtering characteristics of a wide band filter are generally good enough even with larger resistance values because network impedance
typically grows when the frequency rises. This means that even if the filter impedance is not low, it will filter higher harmonics adequately.

How do I define filter design? First, you must define the amount of required reactive power. This is done by making simulations to be sure that the plant fulfills the
requirements in the grid code. These requirements vary depending on the location of the site as transmission system operators are different in
different countries. Each can have their own requirements.

After the required reactive power is defined, you next need to define the harmonic content in the network. This is done by simulations or field
measurements. When the harmonic content is defined, the required filter configuration and types are determined in a harmonic assessment
study. This study will give you the specifications of the recommended harmonic filter equipment.

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 Top 10 Questions from the Webinar

Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy Applications

Question Answer

Is there a rule of thumb for kvar / kV when evaluating In general, the rule of thumb is the higher the voltage, the higher the power. It is impractical to choose low compensation power for high voltage
practicality? applications. The limiting factor is the capacitor unit voltage. The limit is roughly 13.8 kV for internally fused capacitor units and 25 kV for
fuseless capacitor units.

On the other hand, the maximum power for a capacitor unit is roughly 800-1000 kvar, depending on the frequency and ambient conditions
(mainly ambient temperature). It is still practical to do 400 kvar capacitor units, but it is not practical to do 100 kvar units.

As the capacitor bank is typically connected in star connection, the voltage across the capacitor units is line voltage divided by the square root of
three. Below is an example of the practical power range for internally fused capacitor units to a 30 kV network. As a rule of thumb, we can now
evaluate practicality using the following procedure:
• Number of capacitor unit in series: With an internally fused capacitor unit, a 30 kV line voltage requires two capacitor units in series per
phase. Phase is further divided into two branches to ensure unbalance protection. So, the total minimum quantity is two capacitor units in
series and two units in parallel for each phase. Thus the minimum number is 12 capacitor units per three phase capacitor bank.
• Minimum power: The minimum practical power of the capacitor unit is roughly 200 kvar. Hence the total minimum practical compensation
power for a capacitor bank connected to a 30 kV network is around 2400 kvar.
• Maximum power: The bank’s maximum power is limited by the maximum current for cablings, busbars, etc. Standard cabling of the bank can
handle roughly 1200 A without any problems. This limit is less critical from the capacitor bank’s point of view. When considering the circuit
breaker, however, high capacitive current can be an issue, and the practical limit for current can be found there. Higher current requires more
cross-section, which can be easily obtained. In theory, bank power can be almost as high as possible, but it is practical to use higher voltages
after 1200 A current if possible.
Summary: There is a clear limit of practicality in the low end of power range, but less clear in the upper side of compensation power range.

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 Top 10 Questions from the Webinar

Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy Applications

Question Answer

What is the best way to predictively design a harmonic If there is no information available about the harmonics, the best approach is to use compatibility levels from the standards. There are values
filter when there is a lack of basic harmonics-related given for harmonic content in IEC and IEEE standards. The tables are shown below for both standards.
data during the initial design of a solar power plant?
According to IEC 6100-3-6:

According to IEC standard, the indicative planning levels for total harmonic distortion are THDmv = 6.5 % and THDhv-ehv = 3 %.

According to IEEE 519, Table 11.1:

The IEEE standard has the following remark: Limits should be used as system design values for the “worst case” for normal operation. For
shorter periods, lasting less than one hour, the limits may be exceeded by 50%.

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 Top 10 Questions from the Webinar

Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy Applications

Question Answer

How do I calculate the inductance and capacitance When a capacitor and reactor are connected in series, the voltage phasors are pointing in opposite directions. This means that the reactor will
values of the filter? increase the voltage of the capacitor. This is illustrated in the next drawing:

Voltage rise caused by the reactor is called k-factor. To calculate the k-factor, it is mandatory to define the tuning frequency of the filter. Tuning
frequency depends on the application and required filtering effect. Once the tuning frequency is defined, the k-factor can be calculated as
follows:

When the k-factor is known, the component ratings of the filter can be calculated. Voltage across the components depends on the network
rated voltage, tuning frequency, and harmonic contamination. Current rating of the components depends on the rated compensation power and
network harmonics contamination. Inductance and capacitance values of the filter can be calculated as follows:

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 Top 10 Questions from the Webinar

Understanding Harmonic Filters for Renewable Energy Applications

Question Answer

What is resonance? What are the consequences of
not removing harmonic distortion and resonance in
distribution or transmission protection systems?
Resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when capacitance and inductance are connected into same electrical circuit. It is typical that the
feeding network impedance is inductive. When the capacitor bank (without reactors connected in series) is connected to the network, it will
form a resonant circuit with the feeding network. The impedance of the series connection of the feeding network and capacitor bank will be
high at a specific frequency. This specific frequency is called the resonant frequency. The resonant frequency will change by network connection
scenarios since the short-circuit current of the network will change. This change in short-circuit current can be seen as a change in network
inductance and will cause the resonant frequency to change.

If the network is polluted with harmonics, there will be an issue with the resonance. With some specific network connection scenarios, the
resonant frequency will be the same as one of the occurring harmonic current frequencies. This will significantly amplify the harmonic current
which will in turn cause excessive heating in transformers, motors, etc., causing additional stress to the capacitor bank itself. It will also increase
peak voltage and cause problems to devices measuring zero-crossings. To avoid this, the capacitor bank must be equipped with a properly
dimensioned series reactor in any network affected by harmonics.

Summary: Always connect the reactor in series with the capacitor bank if the network is polluted with harmonics.

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