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
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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.,

PV Plant (5~50 MW)

NREL 23816
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

Shift
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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Resources Offshore Wind Resource

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
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Conventional Power Plant vs. Renewable Energy Power Plant

turb ine generator. Photo from Wikipedia
U.S. NRC image of a modern steam

Photo by David Hicks, NREL 18454

http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/en/

Wind Turbine
Generator
1-6 MW
Photo from

Plant Diversity
Generator Sgen 4,000-W (Siemens)
1,300 to 2,235 MVA
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Type 1 Wind Turbine Generator (1% Slip) Type 2 Wind Turbine Generator (10% Slip)

Type 3 Wind Turbine Generator ( + 30% Slip) Type 4 Wind Turbine Generator (Full 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 Greg Glatzmaier, NREL 19807

Photo by David Hicks, NREL 19881

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Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 27806

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

Synthesis of Numerical Methods for
Modeling Wave Energy Converter-Point
Absorbers: Preprint. 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
other utilities Subtransmission Distribution
Customers Customers

Distribution Customers

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

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 Power Losses Inductance

Freq UP
Voltage UP

Static
Storage
Real Power Reactive Power
Compensation
Freq Down
Voltage Down
Base Line
Generators Adjustable Reserves Capacitance
Variable Switched Synchronous
Generators Generators Capacitors
(Conventional Generators/
(RE) Condensers
Gen., RE)
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Fault Ride-Through Capability Voltage vs. Maximum Clearing

Time as Described in IEEE 1547
• Wind power plants should be able to stay on-
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 monitoring.
Voltage Ride Through Adaptable to
Regional Code
1.4

1.2

1
Voltage (p.u.)

0.8

0.6

0.4

661

0.2 661A
LVRT-WECC Prop.
HVRT-WECC Prop.
0
-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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Load Control

Real and Reactive Power Control

Gearbox Preservation Provide Active Damping to
Power System Network

Power Quality
Maximize Energy Capture

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

Real and Reactive Power Control

Power System Network
Maximize Energy Capture

Power Quality
Short/Long-Term DC
Distributed Storage
At the
Generator Level
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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

M ax Cp 11 21
8 m/s
Type 3 & 4
6 9.2 m/s D’
2×10
B 10.8 m/s
12 m/s pitch=0 deg ∆P
12 m/s pitch=4.75 deg
Type 1 & 2 1.5⋅ 10
6

Power (W)
D

C +
A 1×10
6 Trated limit
C

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

At the Plant Level

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Variability
Storage ∆δ, ∆V

∆δ, ∆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 Wire)
Wind Power
Generator

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

At the
Transmission Level
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Environment
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Reference: McNiff, B. (2002). Wind Turb ine 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.