Portugal: Knorr-Bremse PowerTech delivers Reactive Current Converter for Wind Park Penamacor

The order is for 38 converters for installation in Suzlon S88 wind turbines at the 124 MW Penamacor/Sabugal wind park in Portugal. The converters will enable the wind farm to achieve compliance with modern feed-in regulations that are now required in Portugal.

The increased use of renewable energy is increasingly a challenge to grid operators to maintain grid stability. A result is that power stations are now often required to provide more adaptable grid-supporting functions in the form of so-called “grid codes” or feed-in regulations. In Portugal the grid code „Portaria 596” was published in 2010 and requires wind farm operators to retrofit wind turbines accordingly. Compliance can be achieved quickly and efficiently with Green Line 1000 reactive current converters. Integrated directly into Suzlon S88 turbines, the converters enable continuous grid operation during voltage drops and maintain compliance with fault ride through regulations. The entire system, comprised of the S88 from Suzlon and the Green Line 1000, has already received the relevant certification for grid compatibility from Germanischer Lloyd.

The Green Line 1000 reactive current converters have been deployed in over 200 systems from various manufacturers worldwide. Most recently, Knorr-Bremse PowerTech (formerly “PCS Power Converter Solutions”) supplied 66 Green Line 1000 units in 2013 to Suzlon Wind Energy South Africa (Pty) Ltd. for the East Cape Cookhouse Project in South Africa. The reactive current provided by the Green Line 1000 converters played an important role in South Africa’s move toward modern power supply specifications that match stringent requirements in other parts of the world such as Europe.

Knorr-Bremse PowerTech provides Green Line 1000 reactive current converters for upgrades in two performance classes. They are suitable for both smaller and larger wind turbines up to 2500 A and consist of a pulsed IGBT power converter with a voltage link. If the grid is operating under nominal conditions, the converters remain in stand-by mode. If the voltage on the grid drops, the converters are activated and supply the required reactive current for up to six seconds. For the wind farm Penamacor/Sabugal in Portugal the commissioning is planned in 2016.