Developing transmission fault ride-through criteria for New Zealand wind farms

Wind energy currently constitutes about 8% of the total energy generation in New Zealand. The penetration of wind generation into high voltage transmission systems necessitates development of grid integration standards. One of the requirements is the development of a voltage envelope as part of a generator Fault Ride-Through (FRT) criteria. The specialized development of FRT criteria for a country requires taking into account load and transmission network characteristics, selection of appropriate contingencies, and consideration of protective relay settings. This paper outlines the experience of the New Zealand (NZ) Transmission System Operator (TSO) development of the proposed FRT criteria through dynamic system studies. Wind turbine technology is also reviewed in context of development of FRT criteria for large wind farms connected to the NZ Grid. The final proposed FRT criteria for the New Zealand transmission system is also presented.