The Beneficial Role of SMES Coil in DC Lines as an Energy Buffer for Integrating Large Scale Wind Power

Wind energy resources are accounting for an ever-greater portion of the many nations´ generation portfolios to address global climate change concerns and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Increasing the role of wind in the power generation mix, however, presents significant operational challenges in ensuring the grid security and power quality due to the inherent resource variability. This paper addresses the integration of large-scale wind resources into the grid through DC lines incorporating SMES coil: Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) type wind power plant linked by line-commutated HVDC with and without SMES is investigated using PSCAD/EMTDC for various operating scenarios. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of applying SMES coil in the DC line for mitigating the wind power intermittency and for improving its dispatchability and quality. Enhanced robustness for AC and DC faults due to the SMES coil and its benefits are also discussed.