Estimating the Wind Power Integration Threshold Considering Electro-Thermal Coupling of Overhead Transmission Lines

Abstract

With regard to wind farms connected to the main system via dedicated overhead transmission lines, the available wind power absorbed by the system relies on not only the power generation capacity but also the power transmission threshold. Thus, this study centers on the close relationship between environmental conditions and power transfer limits that involve the thermal limit and steady-state stability limit. Simultaneous equations representing both overhead conductors’ heat balance and power transmission operation are established. In addition, formulations of the maximum transmission power for the steady-state stability limit are derived and then expressed as functions of environmental factors and the line length. The presented approach allows one to analyze the threshold considering not only the thermal limit but also the steady-state stability limit, which could be remarkably different under certain environmental and transmission distance conditions. Then, a scheme to identify the primary limitation and obtain the corresponding threshold value is proposed. Moreover, a simple treatment of wind speed correlation is deployed because of the close distance between a wind farm and its tie-line. Case studies demonstrate that, for a certain wind speed level, the process of transmission rather than generation could become the key factor determining the threshold value.