On Electrical Parameters and Configuring the Relay Protections in Windfarm-Carrying Grids

In recent years, the world has been constructing ever more generation facilities based on renewable energy sources (RES). Russia's UES Prospective Development Roadmap projects the total capacity of RE facilities to increase by 4.4 GW by 2025. In some power grids, their share in generating capacity will exceed 15%. To adequately calculate the electrical parameters of the windfarm (WF) grids and adjacent distribution grids, one needs to use verified wind power plant (WPP) models. Correct modeling enables adjustments for how the control laws and algorithms used by the farm-wide controller, WPP inverter automations, and inverter protection settings affect the operating parameters of grids. The paper presents the electrical parameters of a real-world WF as calculated in PowerFactory software, whereby it analyzes the operating conditions of relay protections (RP) observed in different WF configurations. Analysis reveals the risks of RP failures and false positives in a variety of operating situations. Recommendations have been made on how to change the configurations and settings of RPs to ensure adequate selectivity and sensitivity.