Mingyang Smart Energy Group and Hopewind Electric have been awarded statements of conformity by DNV for their turbines that meet future grid rules. The statements confirm that Mingyang’s turbine, which includes a wind power converter from Hopewind, have been independently verified to comply with the requirements of a grid forming converter.
As more variable wind generation is connected to power grids, turbines with grid forming converters will become an increasingly important requirement for grid operators. This is because they will allow wind farms to provide voltage and frequency stability services, which are often provided by fossil fuel power plants.
The verification tests were performed in DNV’s Digital Test Lab in Arnhem, the Netherlands, using a mechanical and electromagnetic co-simulation controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHiL) testbench. This setup combines validated mechanical models with real-time electrical models and control replicas for testing under various grid and wind conditions.
The verification process included testing the voltage forming properties of the wind power converter, its power quality characteristics in relation to grid forming, as well as its inertial behavior, fault ride-through capabilities, and the device’s black start capabilities.
“The share of wind power in power systems has been increasing remarkably and the behavior of converters will be a key consideration in power systems,” said Binwei Tang, Director of Grid Integration Technology Department at Mingyang Smart Energy. “We believe grid forming technology will significantly improve the stability of modern power grids with the integration of large-scale wind power, breaking the wind power penetration limitation.”
Theo Bosma, Programme Director at DNV Group Research and Development, added: “DNV is continuously investing in R&D and we are committed to making real-time digital simulation and testing practical for use in advisory and verification. This cooperation with Mingyang and Hopewind is a great example of the value that controller hardware-in-the-loop can bring to the highly innovative wind industry.”
