Grid stability benefits with Seatwirl vs horizontal shaft windpower plant

Abstract

In an ac power system the generated power should be equal to the consumed power in addition to the system losses. In case of any steady state imbalance between generation and consumption, the system frequency will deviate from its rated value. To keep the frequency stable, control power plants have to intervene. This intervention will not be immediate, which highlights the increasing importance of the instantaneous inertial response. In this thesis it is discussed how the inertia reduction in the power system due to large penetration of renewable energy sources that will effect the power system stability; non-inherent inertia generation consisting of fast-responding energy storage is proposed and financially compared with each other and with the synthetic inertia technology in the wind turbines. Seatwirl technology - A new floating wind turbines design with the ability of providing synthetic inertia- is introduced and simulated showing its ability to generate synthetic inertia, a technical comparison is made between Seatwirl and the previously suggested inertia generation methods. This thesis also highlights the benefits of using Seatwirl technology on the stability of electrical networks.