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Recent studies have shown that the grid connection of offshore wind farms through modular multilevel converter–high voltage direct current (MMC-HVdc) transmission system has brought low inertia issue. It is an urgent requirement for offshore wind farms to compensate for the inertia. After analysis and evaluation in this article, it is found that integrating an ultracapacitor energy storage system (UESS) into an MMC has an advantage comprehensively considering cost, size, and dynamic. Based on the evaluation, this article proposes an approach to inertial compensation of HVdc offshore wind farms by MMC-UESS integration. An ultracapacitor is selected as an energy storage element (ESE) for its high power density since the inertial response is a short-term response and it is hoped that added ESE does not significantly increase the size of an MMC submodule. Batteries with high energy density but low power density are not suitable for such applications. The optimal operating voltage of a UESS and the control scheme between MMC loops and inertial emulation are proposed in this article. Experimental results from real-time simulation and a downscaled prototype are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops a practical framework for the multiobjective optimal planning of a grid-connected renewable-battery system considering a long-period operation. The capacities of wind turbine, solar photovoltaic (PV), and battery storage are optimized by minimizing three objective functions: cost of electricity (COE), grid dependence (GD), and total curtailed energy (TCE). A new rule-based energy management is developed for the long-period operation, where: 1) the capacity degradations of PV and battery are applied; 2) purchase and sell electricity prices are updated for each year using interest and escalation rates; and 3) the salvation value of the components is considered to achieve a realistic economic analysis of the planning problem. The developed multiobjective optimal planning model is examined using the long-period (ten years) real data of wind speed, solar insolation, ambient temperature, and load consumption for a grid-connected household in Australia. It is found that a household with the minimum GD (0.008%) results in a COE of 116 ¢/kWh with a TCE of 100 MWh in ten years. The proposed optimal planning framework based on the long-period operation is compared with the short-period operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the penetration of renewable energy generation increases, the importance of energy storage systems becomes evident since these systems can contribute for the preservation of the power system stability. Wind turbine owners can also benefit from having energy storage systems as they can increase their revenues. The fast growth of wind turbine power ratings will eventually lead to the requirement of higher voltage levels as well. Proper power electronic converters will be required to drive these systems. Converters with a modular multilevel structure are considered the state-of-the-art solution for high-power applications. These topologies allow for a flexible integration of energy storage systems in both centralized and decentralized ways. This article presents a new converter solution with a modular multilevel structure and decentralized energy storage integration suitable to drive high-power medium-voltage wind turbines. This converter presents important structural and control characteristics that allows for a straightforward integration of an energy storage system in such a way that the wind turbine driven by it can operate with high flexibility and in a dispatchable fashion, benefiting both the power system operator and the wind-power-plant owner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]