Power Quality for Offshore Generation

The importance of monitoring power quality across all turbines

Wind farm power quality (PQ) is monitored to confirm that the output is within the permitted range stipulated by grid compliance regulations. Operations and maintenance (O&M) services also require PQ measurements to monitor flicker, voltage drop, oscillations, and harmonic resonance.

PQ can be measured at the offshore substation but it is highly advantageous to measure PQ at each generator to avoid aggregating or hiding harmonics introduced by multiple sources along the array.

Synchromerger™ enables synchronous, distributed measurement of PQ within an array using existing CTs and VTs, or at any location where sensors can be retro-fitted. The measurements are time-synchronised and made available at a central location with the data available to be displayed in real time and stored for future analysis.

Synchromerger™ does not require any additional infrastructure such as power supplies, time clocks, GPS antenna, and network connections to be installed at the measurement location. Using entirely passive sensors, high-quality current or voltage samples are gathered at the substation more efficiently than is possible using conventional electronic techniques.

Working with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult

Synaptec’s distributed electrical sensing and PQ monitoring technology reduces the need to send engineers to sea to find the source of electrical faults, and helps automate predictive maintenance to proactively repair and replace assets such as subsea cables before they fail. This functionality was first trialed in collaboration with the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in 2019.

Over the scheduled 25 year production life of a large scale offshore windfarm, the savings can reach tens of millions of pounds. For more information on this pilot, please contact us or watch our development partners recent webinar below: