Feasibility study of off-shore HVDC grids

In the scope of a European Research Project, RTE with the involvement of manufacturers and experts from public laboratories is studying the feasibility of HVDC grids. This work aims at addressing DC grids and their specific security constraints which will strongly impact the resulting HVDC network topology and its interconnection to the AC grid. The major prerequisites for a safe operation of a DC meshed grid are indeed: 1. a highly reliable master control system which coordinates the functions of all the controllers and DC/AC converters, 2. a selective protection plan which allows isolating part of the grid and controlling the loss of power in case of failure or maintenance of parts of the off-shore grid. The study will focus on these items by assessing through large scale demonstrations the viability of two DC breaker solutions. It will propose detailed specifications and technology standards for the future off shore grid industry. This paper gives a comprehensive view of the issues and tasks under progress.