1

Comparison of Wind Turbine/Generator

Configurations for Future Offshore Wind Farms
Ronan Meere, MIEEE
ERC, UCD
ronan.meere@ucd.ie

Terence ODonnell, MIEEE

ERC, UCD
terence.odonnell@ucd.ie

Abstract-- This paper presents the use of induction generator

turbine machines with a voltage/frequency (V/Hz) control
method to maximise available power from the wind. An offshore
wind farm system is proposed and system performance is verified
with both step and variable wind. The study will explore the
concept of lower than rated frequency performance for the V/Hz
design and compare this to conventional wind turbines with real
Irish offshore wind data. The paper also discusses the potential
for low frequency power loss reduction for both cables and
transformers in the wind farm.
Index Terms SCIG, V/Hz control, low frequency operation.

I. INTRODUCTION

he renewable energy sector in Ireland has grown

substantially in recent years and the Irish government
targets 40% of energy to come from renewable sources by
2020, while EU targets set 20% for all energy to come from
renewable energy sources for the same period [1]. It is
anticipated that wind energy will provide the bulk of this
renewable energy given its level of technological advancement
and already widespread installed capacity in Europe [2].
Available onshore wind farm sites are becoming increasingly
limited, and the opportunity to utilise Irelands vast offshore
resource is coming more into focus. Recent developments of
offshore power grid demonstrations in European waters at
substantial distances from the onshore grid have accelerated
the demand to look at high voltage DC power transmission
(HVDC) as an alternative topology to traditional high voltage
AC methods [3]. HVDC has a number of important attributes
including decoupling of asynchronous grids and a higher
power capacity for the same voltage/insulation level as AC.
One of the primary considerations when developing offshore
wind is the layout of the wind turbine machines and different
connection strategies for these to the onshore grid. A number
of possibilities exist and are in development to realise this
some include all AC connection from wind farm to grid, AC
to DC utilising power electronics converters at both machine
and transmission level and AC to DC conversion just at the
transmission converter level. Important metrics for any
connection configurations include, transient recovery,
reliability and cost.

This work was conducted in the Electricity Research Centre, University,

College Dublin, Ireland, which is supported by the Commission for Energy
Regulation, Bord Gis Energy, Bord na Mna Energy, Cylon Controls,
EirGrid, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), ESB International, ESB
Networks, Gaelelectric, Intel, SSE Renewables, UTRC and Viridian Power &
Energy.
Email: ronan.meere@ucd.ie

978-1-4799-3254-2/13/$31.00 IEEE

Andrew Keane, MIEEE

ERC, UCD
andrew.keane@ucd.ie

Lumbreras et al. have investigated the optimal design of the

electrical layout of an offshore wind farm [4]. The authors
examine the critical impact on both plant cost and reliability.
The paper looks specifically on the HVDC connection and
incorporates an approximation of losses and failures.
However, the paper does not develop specific power system
models of the wind farm or interconnection. In 2011, Hamidi
et al. looked at the reliability of offshore networks for
connection of offshore wind farms [5]. The paper discusses
the reliability assessment for offshore wind farms and includes
power system models for various offshore network scenarios.
The power system models proposed do not specify the wind
turbine type and power system simulation data is limited. A
study by Hahn et al. explored the reliability of 1500 wind
turbines over a 15 year period [6]. The power electronics of
the wind turbine system has the highest annual failure rate,
while the longest downtime interval in days was for the
generator. From a reliability perspective it could be concluded
that future offshore wind farm will require a combination of
lower levels of power electronics and robust generator
designs.
The doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) concept is the
most common wind turbine technology in use today [7]. The
DFIG typically use VSC (Voltage Source Converter)
regulators to control rotor speed and voltage. The permanent
magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) has received much
attention in recent research literature [8]. The PMSG variable
speed wind turbines usually utilises full power conversion for
decoupling the mechanical speed of the rotor and the
frequency of the connecting AC wind farm The squirrel cage
induction generator (SCIG) offers some interesting connection
possibilities when considering a VSC-HVDC link for power
transmission onshore. SCIGs offer a simple and robust
generator design - beneficial for offshore wind farms. An
alternative strategy may use a central VSC-HVDC converter
station with a voltage/frequency (V/Hz) block built in, as
opposed to power electronics converters at each individual
wind turbine as is typical with the DFIG and PMSG wind
turbine. This approach has the advantage of reducing the
number of power electronics converters at the wind farm and
thus having the potential to lower overall complexity, cost and
maintenance. The authors have previously investigated this,
looking at regulating power for a group of turbines with
voltage/frequency control at the VSC-HVDC converter station
[9]. Trilla et al. have examined control of SCIGs with one

common power converter [10]. The paper outlines how

optimum power operation was achieved through frequency
control of a cluster of turbines connected to a single VSC
converter station. The work by Gevorgian et al. of NREL also
explores V/Hz control for a number of SCIGs wind turbines at
a single VSC-HVDC converter station [11]. The paper
presents the operation principle of the technology and
compares it to conventional Type 3 and 4 turbines for energy
production and performance.
This paper presents centralised control for a farm of SCIG
wind turbines with a single converter station that regulates the
voltage and frequency to maximise the available power from
the wind. The paper outlines the performance of the system for
step and variable wind speeds. The paper will also discuss the
implications of constant V/Hz control for annual energy
production and utilises real wind speed measurements to
compare to conventional wind turbine design. The system is
modelled using PSCAD/EMTDC [12] this software allows
detailed user-defined models for a power system and provides
small time scale transient analysis.
The paper is organised as follows: Section II gives details on
the turbine and generator models to be used in the study.
Section III outlines the V/Hz control theory and operation,
Section IV provides an analysis on V/Hz operation with real
wind data and finally Section V gives a summary and future
direction.

Cp =

1
2

Pm =

1
2

R C p V w

Tm =

Pm

45

)e 6

Parameter

Value

Parameter

Value

Turbine Rating

2 [MW]

Gear Ratio

65.27

Blade Radius

40 [m]

Inertia

16x10 [kg/m ]

Air Density

1.225 [kg/m ]

Blade Pitch

v sd = R s i sd +

d sd

v sq = R s i sq +

v rd = Rr i rd +

(2)

v rq = R r i rq +

(3)

dt
d sq

d rd
dt
d rq
dt

dt

(5)

+ s sd

( s r ) rq = 0
(6)
+ ( s r ) rd = 0

sd = L s i sd + Lm i rd

Tip speed ratio

R :
Vw :

Radius of the blade

Wind speed

rd = Lm i sd + Lr i rd

Pm :
:

Mechanical power

sq = L m i sq + Lr i rq

Air density

Cp :

Power coefficient

Tm :

Mechanical torque

The mechanical torque obtained from equation (3) is

multiplied by -1 to represent generation and is imputed into
the generator model. The maximum power coefficient Cp can

s sq

sq = L s i sq + Lm i rq

B. SCIG model
The SCIG model is a robust and simpler technology when
compared to wound rotor and permanent magnet alternatives.
Its characteristics are modelled by the dynamic equations
given in [13]. The equations for the model are formulated in
terms of the d-q imaginary axis, with respect to the network
reference angle.

Rotor speed

(4)

TABLE I
WIND TURBINE MODEL PARAMETERS

Where:

here the pitch angle will be set to 0 . The model will look to
maximise available wind power by setting a reference rotor
speed that tracks wind speed to maximise Cp. The parameters
for the wind turbine model are given in Table 1.

(1)

Vw

( 5.6

where is the blade pitch angle. For the analysis presented

A. Turbine Model
The mechanical model of the turbine is independent from the
generator model. The wind blade torque is described by the
following equations (1)-(3):
m R

the following

equation:

II. TURBINE-GENERATOR-MODEL

using

be expressed as a function of

(7)

(8)

Where s and r denote the stator and rotor terms respectively

and the equation parameters are given as:

:
:
:

L:
Lm :

Angular speed
Resistance
Flux
Inductance
Magnetising inductance

The generator parameters used for the study are the

following:
TABLE II
SCIG PARAMETERS
Parameter

Value

Parameter

Value

Power

2 [MW]

Rotor Resistance

0.018[]

Voltage

690 [V]

Stator Reactance

0.075[]

Stator Resistance

0.048[]

Rotor Reactance

0.120[]

The next section of the paper will outline the principle of

operation of the V/Hz control strategy.

3. Finally, the voltage is set as:

2f set
v set =
* Traffo _ Winding _ Ratio
V LLgenerator

To verify the operation of the V/Hz control a number of

simulations are undertaken to see the response of the system to
a step wind change of 11.5 m/s to 10.5 m/s for a selected time
scale. Fig.2 and Fig.3 shows the response of the V/Hz control
for the wind step. As can be seen the rotor speed tracks the
wind speed very closely after initial transients, while without
the V/Hz controller the rotor speed stays relatively unchanged.

III. V/HZ CONTROL FOR VARIABLE SPEED SCIG WIND

TURBINES

Variable frequency operation can maximise potential wind

energy capture for a number of induction generators turbines.
For SCIGs and transformers of a wind farm to operate
optimally they must be controlled to operate with a constant
V/Hz ratio when the frequency of the overall system
changes, the voltage must also change at the same rate to keep
the ratio constant.
For the system proposed here, a V/Hz control block will be
located at the VSC-HVDC station, see Fig.1. The V/Hz
controller will look to maximise power from the available
wind, to operate a number of turbines at their maximum power
coefficient Cp. The system operates as follows:

Fig.2.V/Hz rotor speed response to step change in wind

1. Wind speed is measured at each turbine and averaged

and this value is radio transmitted to the V/Hz
controller at the offshore VSC station. The control
firstly sets the reference speed, from the wind by:
Vw
ref =
(9)
Tip _ Speed _ Ratio _ Const
2. The reference speed term is then used to set the
frequency:

f set =

ref
2

* 314rad / sec

(10)

(11)

Fig.3.Constant V/Hz ratio for wind step of Fig. 2.

Fig.1. V/Hz control for SCIG wind far

The output power for three offshore sites with five SCIG
wind turbines each, utilising centralised V/Hz control is
displayed in Fig.4. The analysis is undertaken for constant
wind speeds of 8- 12 m/s.

The papers by Gevorgian et al. [11] and Gomis-Bellmunt et

al. [14] present detailed statistical analysis of V/Hz wind farm
performance for figures of merit such as energy production,
wind speed diversity for a site and characteristics with
different generator technologies. The next section of the paper
will further elaborate on a comparison to Type 3 and 4 turbine
design and present real wind speed data to evaluate V/Hz wind
farm operation for annual energy production.
IV. OFFSHORE WIND SPEED DATA AND VARIABLE FREQUENCY
OPERATION

Fig.4.Output power for a cluster of wind turbines with V/Hz control

Real wind speed data is utilised to demonstrate the potential

of the offshore wind resource in Ireland and also see the
performance of the V/Hz wind farm design. The wind data
employed for the analysis was provided by the Irish Marine
Institute [15]. The institute has a number of measurement
buoys around the Irish coast measuring average hourly wind
speed using anemometer data [16]. One location is selected for
the analysis and is located at co-ordinate location 54.9982N
09.992154W, see Figure 7.

It is also important to analyse the system with variable wind

speed data. Fig.5 and Fig.6 display the rotor speed and V/Hz
response to the same variable wind input for the three wind
farm sites. The figures show the close response of rotor speed
and V/Hz ratio response to changes in wind over the selected
time series.

Fig.7.Location of measurement buoy off the north-west coast

Fig.5.Rotor speed response and reference to variable wind

The wind speed measured at the buoy is taken just above the
surface of the water and is converted to the correct hub height
wind speed using equation (12). The average wind turbine hub
wind speed for the selected site is displayed for 2 years of data
in Fig.8.
H
In( 1 )
z
U1 = U 2
(12)
H2
In(
)
z
Where:
H1 :
Hub height of the wind turbine - 90m

H2
U1
U2
z
Fig.6.V/Hz ratio for variable wind for the model

:
:
:
:

Height of anemometer on the buoy 4.5m

The wind speed at the turbine
The measured wind at the buoy
The roughness length coefficient - 0.002

Fig.8.Average monthly wind speed data for 2 years at a single buoy location

The frequency scale for V/Hz operation with wind speed is

depicted in Fig.9. The system ratings for the turbine are also
included. the turbine cuts in at approximately 15 Hz at 4 m/s
and rated power is set to 50 Hz for 13 m/s.

Fig.9. Variable frequency operation for the system at different wind speeds

It is important to consider a comparison of V/Hz operation

with Type 1 SCIG design to conventional Type 3 and 4 wind
turbines. The annual average wind speeds at one buoy location
for both approaches is displayed in Fig.10 (a) and (b). Some
important points to illustrate from this include:
The (%) time for a year the turbines operate below the
cut-in, between cut-in and rated and above rated
see Fig. 10.
For wind speeds above the rated both approaches
(Type 3/4 compared to Type 1with V/Hz) produce
the same amount of power.

Fig.10 (b) Annual wind speed data for 2012 for one offshore buoy

The authors in [11] have compared annual energy production

for Type 1 wind turbines with V/Hz control and constant
frequency (60Hz) Type 3 and 4 wind turbines. It concluded
that conventional Type 3 and 4 machines offer higher annual
energy production a major factor for this was the variation in
wind speeds across the farm. Conventional wind turbines are
individually optimised for different wind speeds while Type 1
turbines with V/Hz operation are not fully optimal given the
centralised control for a large group of generators.
Looking at Fig.10 (a) and (b) it is clear that the wind turbines
will operate % more frequently between the cut-in to rated
wind speed scale for operation. There may be added benefits
from operating at the cut-in to rated frequency scale, see Fig.9.
The lower than rated frequency operation of the system may
result in lower power loss for the wind farm components,
principally the cables and transformers. The power loss
reduction in cables and transformers may offset to some extent
the losses due to non-optimisation.
A. Cable Loss
The transmission cables are a key component of the wind
farm architecture. The generator to collector transformer cable
is typically rated for 33kV and the connecting cable to
converter can be rated for 132kV upwards. The work by
Funaki et al [17] proposes low frequency AC transmission for
lower losses in the transmission cables. The charging current
of the cable, Ic can be expressed using the following
expression:
I c = 2fClV
Where:
f :
C:
l :
V :

(13)

Frequency
Capacitance
Length of the cable
Voltage rating of the cable

Frequency dependant losses for individual cables may not be

significant but perhaps greater if summed for say 100 turbines
for an offshore site. Future work will focus on designing
accurate frequency dependant cable models to further develop
the analysis.
Fig.10 (a) Annual wind speed data for 2011 for one offshore buoy

B. Transformer Loss
The transformer loss will have a more significant
contribution to the system. Transformers are typically less
efficient at lighter load, when used at a fixed frequency.
Reducing frequency with load can reduce the standing losses
in the transformer.
For an optimised transformer operating at 50 Hz, the losses
for the core and the windings should be evenly distributed.
Table III displays indicative core losses for a 2MW wind
turbine transformer rated with approximately 40kW power
loss. When the frequency is reduced to 25 Hz a substantial
reduction is seen in core loss.
TABLE III
FREQUENCY EFFECT WIND TURBINE TRANSFORMER
Turbine Traffo

Rated 50 (Hz)

25 (Hz)

Core Loss

20 kW

7 kW

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors acknowledge the support of PRTLI-5 research
stream funding and the Marine Institute for data provided.

C. Potential Energy Production

The annual energy production for the wind farm site with 15
2MW turbines excluding power losses is presented in Table
IV. For a number of months the mean frequency of operation
is lower than rated 50 Hz which may result in lower system
power losses.
TABLE IV
ENERGY PRODUCTION ONE SITE 15 TURBINES 2011 DATA

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Arp
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec

Mean Wind (m/s)

12
14
12
10
14.5
10
7.5
8
12
12
14
16

Mean Freq (Hz)

46
50
46
38.5
50
38.5
27
31
46
46
50
50
Total

Simplified control strategy to implement a centralised

V/Hz strategy for a number of wind turbines.
Step by step detailed operation of the system.
Operation of the wind farm under step and variable
wind.
Irish offshore wind potential with real wind data
processed for wind turbine operation range.
Discussion on operating wind farm cables and
transformers at low frequency for reduced power
losses.
Further studies will look to compare the V/Hz control
strategy presented here with frequency dependent models to
fixed frequency Type 3 and 4 wind turbines with Irish
offshore wind data.

MW
27
30
27
18
30
18
8
9
27
27
30
30
281

This section of the paper has presented an interesting

perspective for Irish offshore wind potential with centralised
V/Hz control. Analysis on real wind speed data shows turbines
will operate below rated frequency more frequently.
Operating the wind farm at a lower frequency scale than fixed
50 Hz could provide added benefits for reduced power losses
and higher efficiencies. Future work will look to design and
implement accurate frequency dependent models for both the
cables and transformers.
V. SUMMARY
This paper has presented a number of interesting perspectives
for simplified wind farm design. Some of the key concepts
presented in the paper included:
State of the art for current V/Hz wind farm design.

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