GridGEM Enables Wind Turbine to be installed with Export Limit

Overview: Client enables wind turbine on constrained Grid – Argand Solutions provided the client with a GridGEM™ export limitation solution that managed the output of a Northern Power 100kW wind turbine to enable the client to connect

Client Problem: A farmer in Scotland, already owned 2 x 100kW wind turbines at his farm. With a Grid connection limited to 200kW he was looking for a solution to enable a further 100kW of generation that would not breach his DNO-imposed export limit of 200kW. He also had large drying requirements for his farm and wanted a solution that would enable the heat load prior to reducing the output of his constrained wind turbine. He approached Argand Solutions with this complex requirement on Scottish Power’s network which had not been done before.

Argand’s Solution: Argand worked directly with the client’s wind turbine supplier (Northern Power Systems) to provide a fully integrated GridGEM™ Active Network Management (ANM) control solution that communicated in real-time with the wind turbine control system to manage and tether the output in relation to the DNO-imposed constraint. In addition, the GridGEM™ ANM enabled heat loads to be activated prior to the reduction control to enable and optimise farming processes.  One of the key technical challenges overcome by the solution was the inability for wind turbines to tether their output immediately. Argand’s solution solved this dilemma through predictive and fail-safe logic to ensure a smooth transition between demand and generation.

Client Benefits: The client was able to install an additional 100kW wind turbine at his farm which had immediate economic benefits in terms of the cost of running his farm and through the optimised demand side response through heat load management.