WIND POWER PLANTS

The importance of wind power plants in the field of voltage and reactive power regulation is increasing with the number of the operating wind parks connected to the transmission and distribution systems. Wind park, which cooperates with the system of U and Q regulation, not only eliminates its negative feedback effect on the power system, but is also able to work as a full action member of the regulatory system with some interesting abilities. These are:

• Wider and better designed wind generator operating diagram compared to the synchronous generator with the same installed capacity (see Figure 1).
• Ability to provide regulatory reactive power also at zero active power production.A necessary condition is to be equipped with an internal compensator.
• Within the process of U and Q regulation as well reactive power generated by power lines and cables of the wind farm is used.

Figure 1 - Example of wind power generator operating diagram

In the case of including into the wind park system of U and Q regulation it is not necessary to equip this park with the external compensation means. Thus the saving in capital and operating costs is achieved.

In the case of wind parks the current regulatory reserve of reactive power is not depending on the immediate production of active power, but with some simplification on the number of currently operating wind turbines only. This is due to the shape of the diagrams of operating wind farms which with an exception of the minimum active power production and in some cases with the maximum production of P have the purely rectangular character.