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Vol. 25, No. 2, April 2006
EPTC wind farm simulator answers interconnection questions
NREL's National Wind technology Center
Staff from NREL's National Wind Technology Center in Golden, Colo. , worked with Western employees to develop a training tool to help operators understand how wind generation affects the grid. (Photo by National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Western's Electric Power Training Center and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are developing a new tool to help power system operators understand how wind generation affects the grid.

A 50-MW wind farm simulator will be added to the EPTC's miniature power system this fall. Classes that will incorporate simulator exercises include Power Plant Operations, Realtime Operations and Reliability Readiness, Overview of Electric Power Systems and Fundamentals of Electric Power Systems.

"It will demonstrate the operational issues unique to wind powered generation and how it might affect the system operator’s job," said Instructor Brad Nickell. "This is the first training simulator of its kind in the country."

One-of-a-kind training

Like the wind farm simulator, the self-contained, fully-operational miniature power system is unique to the EPTC. The hands-on experience gained in the MPS sets it apart from computer-based training.

Live generators produce electricity, which is distributed over power lines to loads and substations that behave as if they are hundreds of miles apart and are monitored by real protection equipment. Every time a student operates a breaker, a real, physical contact is opened or closed. "Solving problems in real time, on a real system, is different from sitting in front of a computer screen," said Nickell.

EPTC staff updated the MPS last year with a new simulator control system, instructor console interface and data-logging equipment and Dispatch Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system. The new equipment provides students with additional system operations problem-solving scenarios and reduces overall system maintenance costs. The addition of the wind simulator will enhance training opportunities and address issues power operators increasingly face.

Product of teamwork

Training opportunities were what Western Renewable Resource Program Manager Randy Manion had in mind when he introduced EPTC instructors to NREL's National Wind Technology Center last spring. "I had an inquiry from a New Mexico utility dispatcher seeking training for wind integration," said Manion. "I forwarded the e-mail to [EPTC manager] Dennis Schurman, who said EPTC would consider providing it."

Manion coordinated a meeting between the EPTC team and members of NREL's Wind Team out at the NREL's Wind Technology Site near Boulder, Colo. The groups discussed the information they wanted to present and how they hoped to do it. From that brainstorming session came the idea for a simulated wind farm to give students experience with handling intermittent wind generation. "It started out as 'Wouldn't it be great if we could…' Then we realized that we could do it, and it was a great idea," said Nickell.

It was such a good idea that NREL, DOE's Wind Powering America Program and Western's Renewable Energy Program provided funding for the simulator. Design and equipment specification took about four months, with the entire EPTC and NREL staff participating in the design process. Nickell expects testing on the unit to run through the end of April, and installation at EPTC will take place over the summer.

The simulator was built from scratch, using off-the-shelf parts.The unit has controls that look like real wind plant controls, said Nickell. "Realism is the No. 1 priority," he declared.

Wind boom creates training need

That realism will help answer questions that arise with each new wind farm. "Western's Rocky Mountain Region alone has more than 600 MW of wind interconnection requests on its books," observed Nickell. "Not all of those requests will become generation, but it shows that the resource is here to stay, and power operators need to know how to deal with it."

Incorporating wind integration training into EPTC classes is a proactive strategy, however. "Operators weren't asking for training so much as they were asking 'What are we going to do? How does this affect my job?' " Nickell noted. "The simulated wind farm will help answer their questions."

Nickell believes that another audience will be interested in the simulator, too. "Wind developers will be able to see how their facilities interact with the grid," he said, which will smooth the road to interconnection. "Too often in the industry, there's a disconnect between developers and utilities. The simulator can help both parties understand the process from the other's point of view."

The response to a preview of the simulator at a wind interconnection workshop in January suggests that both utilities and developers are ready for the simulator. "The feedback was very positive," said Manion.

The good advanced buzz does not surprise Nickell and the rest of the EPTC instructors. Identifying utilities' needs and providing one-of-a-kind service to meet them is what Western's Electric Power Training Center does.

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