LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (December 9, 2003) --- GE Wind Energy's recent advancement in power electronics, a low voltage ride-through (LVRT) capability that enables wind turbines to stay connected to the grid during system disturbances, is among the technologies the company is highlighting at Power-Gen International 2003.
Introduced earlier this year, LVRT capability is now being built into all of GE Wind's new turbines, ranging from the 1.5-megawatt machine up to the new 3.6-megawatt unit designed for offshore applications. The company has intellectual property rights in the LVRT technology.
"More and more utilities are adding wind to their power generation mix. With this increased level of wind power penetration into electric power networks, turbine manufacturers are facing more stringent transmission standards," said Steve Zwolinski, president of GE Wind Energy, a unit of GE Power Systems. "Adding LVRT capability to our wind turbine product line is the latest in a continuing series of technology advancements that are helping to make wind power increasingly competitive."
In the past, wind turbines were designed to trip off-line in the event of major system disturbances such as lightning strikes, equipment failures or downed power lines. However, this loss of generation impacts system stability and can lead to cascaded tripping and loss of revenue. Today, many utilities are requesting that wind farms ride through grid disturbances, remaining on-line to continue supporting the system.
The new LVRT power electronics are designed to deliver ride-through capability at or below 15 percent grid voltage for up to 500 milliseconds. GE has upgraded the wind turbine's main control cabinet, low-voltage distribution panel, pitch system, UPS and power converter to ensure compliance with the low-voltage ride-through requirements.
The Taiban Mesa Wind Farm in New Mexico was the first project to install GE Wind 1.5-megawatt wind turbines with LVRT capability. Owned and operated by FPL Energy, the Taiban project has a capacity of 204 megawatts, enough electricity to supply 94,000 average U.S. households.
Two other major wind power developers, PPM Energy and Shell Wind Energy, also are utilizing LVRT-enabled turbines in their recent projects.
GE Wind Energy is one of the world's leading wind power companies. With design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities located in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, China and the U.S., the company's current product portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs from 900 to 3600 kilowatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company's knowledge base includes the development and/or installation of more than 6,100 wind turbines with a total rated capacity exceeding 4,000 megawatts. GE Wind Energy employs more than 1,700 people worldwide.
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