IWES plans test facility for 20-MW turbines

The project aims to verify current and future grid system services and the electrical properties of wind turbines.

The Mobil-Grid-CoP project will allow testing and optimisation of the grid compatibility of very large wind turbines with an output of up to 20 MW. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy s financing the project to the tune of €12.7M (US$13.8M).

“The requirements placed on the electrical properties of generating plants for connection to the grid are growing steadily,” said IWES. “Test benches can accelerate testing of the electrical properties of wind turbines, enabling realistic testing under reproducible conditions.

“Future turbines, especially those intended for use offshore, will have an output of in excess of 15 MW, which cannot be provided by existing test benches.

“A mobile grid simulator will be able to simulate various grid connection points and dynamic grid events to test prototypes directly, in the field. In addition to grid errors, the mobile test facility will also allow testing of dynamic frequency changes. This will make it possible to analyse the power from new turbines and examine their effects. It will also be possible to simulate blackouts, in order to test the grid-restoration capacity of power grids.”

IWES deputy head and technical director Professor Jan Wenske said Mobil-Grid-CoP would be the world’s largest grid simulator, with an output of 80 MVA. It will be integrated seamlessly into the existing DyNaLab nacelle testing facility and can also be used in the field. It will also be suitable for connection to a hydrogen test field.