1

The Roles of Power Electronics in

Renewable Energy Deployment
Eduard Muljadi
National Renewable
Energy Laboratory

Panel presented at the

2014 IEEE Power and
Energy Society (PES)
Conference on
Innovative Smart Grid
Technologies (ISGT)

Washington, DC
February 19-22, 2013

NREL/PR-5D00-61378
Source: NREL
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Outline
• Introduction
• Renewable energy
resources
• Grid integration
• Power electronics control
• Environment
 3

Introduction
• Applications
 mW or MW level
 Isolated or grid connected
• Variability of the source
 Temporal (seconds, hour, day, week, season)
 Spatial (continental, local, plant)
• Large area coverage – Diversity (resource and
electrical characteristics)
• Operation
 Normal/abnormal
 Balanced/unbalanced
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Introduction

Photo from SunPower

Corp., NREL 23816
PV Plant (5~50 MW)

Rooftop PV
(1~30
kW) Photo from DOE/FEMP,
NREL 27638

Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

22192

Mobile 9-kW PV System

Bechler Meadows Ranger Station
Yellowstone National Park
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Wind Resource – Midwest Wind Resource – West Coast

Spring Peaking Summer Peaking

Shif
t
Peak California Region
24-Hour Solar Resource
24-Hour Wind Resource

Low Output High Output

8 a.m. – 14 p.m. 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

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Offshore Wind Resource

Resources

U.S. Wind Resource

Solar Resource
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Synchronous Generator (left) vs.

Wound Rotor Induction Generator
(right)

What will happen if there is a

sudden disturbance in the
transmission network? To power AC-DC-AC power
converter to operate WTG in
variable speed
 Photo from U.S. NRC image of a modern steam
http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/en/
turb ine generator. Photo from
Wikipedia

MVA
Generator Sgen 4,000-W
(Siemens) 1,300 to 2,235
Conventional Power Plant vs. Renewable Energy Power Plant

Plant

Photo by David Hicks, NREL

Diversity

18454
Wind
Turbine

1-6 MW
Generator
8
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Type 1 Wind Turbine Generator (1% Type 2 Wind Turbine Generator (10%
Slip) Slip)

Type 3 Wind Turbine Generator ( + 30% Type 4 Wind Turbine Generator (Full
Slip) Conversion)
(100%
Slip)
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Examples of
Renewable Energy Resources
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Photo by Bill Timmerman, NREL

08989

Photo by David Hicks, NREL

18557

Photo by David Hicks, NREL 19881

Photo by Greg Glatzmaier, NREL
19807
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Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

27806
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Reference: Li, Y.; Yu, Y. H. (2012). Synthe

sis of Numerical Methods for Modeling Wav
e Energy Converter-Point Absorbers: Preprin
t. 36 pp.; NREL Report No. JA-5000-52115.
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Grid Integration
• Interconnection
• Operation
• Standards – Grid codes
• Ancillary services (inertial response,
frequency and governor response,
reserves)
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Interconnection
Small Wind Farm (less
Utility Scale Wind Farms (above 10 MW) than 10 MW)
Power plant Single Large Wind
Turbine
Small Wind Turbine

Step-up Step-up
transformer transformer
Step-down Step-down Step-down
transformer transformer transformer

Transmission to
Subtransmission Distribution
other utilities
Customers Customers

Distribution Customers

115kV and 26-115 kV 4-35 kV 120-480 V

higher

Distributed Interconnections per

Wind Farm Interconnections
IEEE-1547

Credit: NREL’s TGIG presentation archive.

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Real and Reactive Power Balance

(To Keep Frequency and Voltage Constant)
Adjustable Variable Inductive Induction
Base Loads Loads Line Load Motors/Generators
Loads P Inductance
o
w
Freq UP e
r
L
Voltage UP
o
s
s
e
s
Static
Storage
Real Power Reactive Power
Compensation
Freq Down
Voltage Down
Base Line
Reserves Capacitance Switched
Generators Adjustable Variable Synchronous
Generators Generators Capacitors Generators/
(Conventional (RE) Condensers
Gen., RE)
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Fault Ride-Through Capability Voltage vs. Maximum Clearing

Time as Described in IEEE
•Wind power plants should be able to stay on-
1547
line under transient faults/disturbances.
• The voltage should tolerate 0 p.u. for 15 ms
(9 cycles).
•Wind power plants should be able to regulate
the power factor between 0.95
leading/lagging.
• Wind power plants should have a SCADA
system to allow remote access and
Voltage Ride Adaptable to
monitoring. Through Regional
1.4
Code

1.2

1
Vo l t a g e (p.u.)

0.8

0.6

0.4
661

0.2 661A

LVRT-WECC

Prop. HVRT-
0 WECC Prop.

-1 0 1 2 3 4
Time
(sec)
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Power Electronics Control

• Generator level
• Plant level
• Transmission
level
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Real and Reactive Power Control

Load Control
Gearbox Provide Active Damping
Preservation to Power System
Network

Power Quality
Maximize Energy
Capture

Short/Long-Term
DC Distributed
Storage
At the
Generator
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Provide Active Damping

to Power System
Network

Real and Reactive Power

Power Quality

Control
Maximize Energy
Capture

Short/Long-Term
DC Distributed
Storage
At the
Generator
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• Many (hundreds) of wind turbines (1 MW to 5 MW each)

• Prime mover: Wind (wind turbine) – Renewable (free, natural, pollution free)
• Controllability: Curtailment
•Predictability: Wind variability based on wind forecasting, influenced more by
nature (wind) than humans, based on maximizing energy production
(unscheduled operation).
• Located at wind resource; may be far from the load center.
•Generator: Four different types (fixed speed, variable slip, variable speed, full
converter) – Non-synchronous generation
•Types 3 and 4: Variable speed with flux-oriented controller (FOC) via power
converter. Rotor does not have to rotate synchronously.

At the Plant
Level
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Inertial Response from a Wind

Turbine
Power vs RPM for different wind
speeds
Max 11
Max Cp 11
Cp 8
21 Type 3 & 4
8 m/s
m/s D’
2106 9.2 m/s
B 9.2 m/s
10.8 m/s
10.8
12 m/s pitch=0 deg P
12 m/s
m/s
12 m/s pitch=4.75
pitch=0 deg
Type 1 & 2 deg
12 m/s 1.5106

Power (W)
D
pitch=4.75
deg
C
C +
A
+
110
6 Trated limit
A C

0
5 10 15 20 25
RPMC RPMA
RPMC RPM (low speed
shaft)
RPMA

At the Plant Level

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Variabilit
y Storage  V

 V VR
Wind
P,
Q (Load
Center)
VAR
Compensation
Wind Power to Help
Generator Regulate
Voltage

Other

Generators

At the
Transmission Level
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Transmission Constraints
Thermal
Limit (Thin
Wind Power
Wire)
Generator

Storage
(Load Center)
Wind Power FACTS
Generator
Stability
Storage Limit(High
Impedance,
Long Distance,
Weak Grid)

At the
Transmission Level
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Environment
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Reference: McNiff, B. (2002). Wind Turbine Lightning Protection Project:

1999-2001. 100 pp.; NREL Report No. SR-500-31115.

Photo by Stephen Drouilhet, NREL

05626
Google Map of a wind power plant, Tehachapi, CA

Reference: NREL Software Aids Offshore Wind Turb ine Designs (Fact Sheet).
Innovation Impact: Wind, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). (2013).
1 pg.; NREL Report No. FS-6A42-60377.
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Conclusions
• Cost reduction in the past 20 years
• Many and diverse opportunities for Power Electronics
 Generation, transmission, and distribution
• Know the limitations
 Thermal, magnetic, electric (voltage, current) etc.
• Know the applications
 Environment: Ocean, land-based, isolated, clusters
 Opportunities to work in parallel (PV – Wind – CSP)
• Leverage existing and future technologies
 Other industries (drives, transportation, ship building)
 Modern technologies (smart control, wireless, condition
monitoring, cyber physical and security, synchrophasor, market
driven)
The information contained in this presentation is subject to a government license.