Technological Connection of Syria’s Electric Power System to the DESERTEC System

Abstract

Technical progress leads to a growth of electricity consumption, due to which countries face the need to look for various sources of energy, including renewable ones. Owing to advances in the development of renewable energy, several large-scale projects have appeared in the world to build a global energy system uniting a number of countries with power plants based on renewable energy sources, DESERTEC being one of such projects. The aim of this project is to optimize the use of renewable energy sources by interconnecting the countries of Middle East, North Africa and Europe using HVDC power lines. The article presents possible options for connecting the Syrian Arab Republic’s 400 kV AC electric power system to the DESERTEC project’s HVDC grid. Various types of converters for use in HVDC power lines are considered, and their advantages and drawbacks are identified. Electrical operation modes in the DC and AC networks are analyzed, and the values of active power losses and voltage drops are determined for the cases of using unipolar and bipolar HVDC transmission systems. Conclusions about the effect the connection of Syrian systems to the DESERTEC network are drawn. The factors influencing the choice of the HVDC transmission type are determined.