| Community Windpower Limited |
| Aikengall II Wind Farm in Dunbar, Scotland. Community Windpower are located in Frodsham, Cheshire |
Project Facts and Figures
| Project Value | £1.0m+ |
| Project Duration | 18 months |
| Services | Electrical balance of plant for a wind farm |
| Market Sector | Renewable Energy, Wind Farm |
| Number of Turbines | 19 |
| Wind Turbine Capacity | 3.2 MW |
| Total Installed Capacity | 60.8 MW |
| Connection Voltage | 132 kV |
| Size of Site | 3 km2 |
| Energy for | 40,000 Households |
| Length of Online Access Tracks | 10 km |
| Length of Onsite 33kV Cabling | 55 km |
Aikengall II Wind Farm scope of work and major design considerations:
Powersystems designed, supplied, installed, tested and commissioned a 132 kV outdoor open-terminal substation for a new 60.8 MW wind farm including;
- A 90 MVA 132/33 kV grid transformer and associated 132 kV circuit breakers, disconnectors, VTs, protection panels and substation SCADA system
- 6-panel 33 kV indoor switchboard. And the associated 33 kV wind farm cabling to 19 wind turbines
- The works included design and layout of the 132 kV primary plant, this was to allow for a future expansion to the substation of up to 140 MW
- Design, installation and commissioning of the interface protection with Scottish Power Transmission and the provision of operational metering and control signals for Grid Code compliance
Powersystems also undertook the electrical compliance studies. And preparation of the UDFS in order to achieve Grid Code compliance as well as assisted with on-site Grid Code compliance testing.
Powersystems designed, installed and commissioned, one of the first point-on-wave circuit breaker controllers to be used in the UK. This was for controlled energisation of a 132 kV grid transformer. This ensures voltage dips were kept within National Grid limits when energising the transformer.
Aikengall II Wind Farm project timings:
Aikengall II Community Wind Farm was given planning consent by the Scottish Government on Friday 1 March 2013. The wind farm has an installed capacity of 60.8 MW to generate clean, green electricity. Aikengall II Community Wind Farm became operational in November 2017.
What the client wanted:
Community Windpower is at the forefront of wind energy development in the UK, with over 800 MW built, under construction or in development. As renewable energy specialists, they are fully experienced in the identification, design, development, construction and operation of onshore wind energy projects.
Community Windpower wanted a 140 MW connection to Scottish Power Transmission’s 132 kV network in Dunbar. This was required for the new 60.8 MW wind farm Aikengall II. This also required sufficient capacity for a future expansion of the wind farm, known as Aikengall IIA.
The Aikengall II wind farm consisted of 19 x 3.2 MW Siemens direct-drive wind turbines. These were located on one of the windiest and consequently most productive sites in the UK, the Lammermuir Hills.
The client required a 33 kV cable layout. This was in order to minimise electrical losses between the turbines, as well as allowing for future cables to Aikengall IIA wind farm, to be installed along the same wind farm tracks.
The 132 kV substation, being a direct connection to the National Grid, and having a registered capacity of 140 MW, needed to be Grid Code compliant.
Community Windpower wanted Powersystems to provide the full suite of electrical compliance studies. This was to demonstrate Grid Code compliance. And design the electrical infrastructure in order to ensure satisfaction of National Grid and Scottish Power’s interface requirements.
How Powersystems helped:
Powersystems lead the high-level design of the electrical infrastructure right from the start of the project. Determining that it was more cost effective to have the Aikengall II and Aikengall IIA wind farms supplied from a single substation. Rather than having two separate substations located closer to the centre of each wind farm.
However, we designed the 132 kV substation layout and 33 kV cable system in such a way, that the future equipment for Aikengall IIA wind farm can be installed with minimum interruption to the Aikengall II wind farm. In addition, this ensures that Aikengall II, will continue to generate throughout the construction period for Aikengall IIA providing revenue for the client.
Our simulation studies of the grid transformer energisation, indicated that it would fail to stay within the voltage dip limits set by National Grid. We therefore proposed a point-on-wave controller and a 132 kV circuit breaker, along with segregated-phase switching. This was to limit the transformer inrush current and corresponding voltage dip during energisation.
Watch a short film on the Aikengall II Wind Farm
The results:
The completed Aikengall II wind farm became operational in November 2017. The site is set on a very windy location and has a high utilisation factor.
Environmental Benefit
- Aikengall II Wind Farm will generate enough electricity to power approximately 40,000 homes and will displace around 68,700 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide per annum
Economic Benefit
- Aikengall II Wind Farm will provide annual community benefit funding, equivalent to £5,000 per MW of installed capacity for the planning permission of the wind farm.
- Based on an installed capacity of 60.8 MW, this equates to £304,000 per annum. This totals around £7.6 million during the 25-year operational period, for the local host communities
In Conclusion:
The wind farm is a sound demonstration that onshore wind is the cheapest form of new-build electricity generation available in the UK today.
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