Control Strategies for Wind Farm Integration in HVDC Systems
Summary
Integration of large-scale wind farms into high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission networks has emerged as a pivotal approach to harnessing remote renewable resources with minimal losses. Central to this integration are voltage source converter (VSC)-based HVDC schemes, in particular modular multilevel converters (MMCs), which offer modularity, superior harmonic performance and scalable voltage output. Control strategies focus on maintaining DC-link voltage stability under variable wind conditions and grid disturbances, regulating active and reactive power exchange, and ensuring compliance with grid-code requirements such as fault ride-through (FRT). Coordination between offshore converter stations and wind turbine controllers enables dynamic power curtailment or smoothing to mitigate surplus energy during AC faults. Hierarchical control layers, encompassing local machine-side converters, DC choppers and distributed braking resistors, work in concert to balance power flow, support voltage during low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) events and dampen oscillations. Advanced schemes exploit communication channels or local measurements to adapt positive and negative sequence current contributions during unbalanced faults, while battery or flywheel energy storage systems furnish fast dynamic support. Collectively, these strategies underpin reliable, resilient and cost-effective long-distance transmission of wind energy, contributing to global decarbonisation and enhanced grid flexibility.
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Control Strategies for Wind Farm Integration in HVDC Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in control strategies for wind farm integration in hvdc systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC): direct current transmission technology facilitating long-distance bulk power transfer with reduced losses.
Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC): converter architecture employing cascaded submodules to generate high-quality voltage waveforms and scalable voltage levels in HVDC systems.
Fault Ride-Through (FRT): capability of a wind farm or converter to sustain operation through grid disturbances without disconnection.
Low Voltage Ride-Through (LVRT): specific FRT requirement ensuring continuous operation during voltage sags.
AC/DC Chopper: power electronic device used to divert or dissipate excess DC-link energy during grid faults.
Distributed Braking Resistors: network of resistive elements integrated across converter submodules to locally absorb surplus energy.
Positive and Negative Sequence Currents: decomposed components of unbalanced three-phase currents employed for precise control under asymmetrical faults.
References
- Grid Integration of Offshore Wind Energy: A Review on Fault Ride Through Techniques for MMC-HVDC Systems. Energies (2024).
- Coordinated Low Voltage Ride-Through of MMC-HVDC Transmission System and Wind Farm With Distributed Braking Resistors. IEEE Access (2022).
- Study on FRT compliance of VSC-HVDC connected offshore wind plants during AC faults including requirements for the negative sequence current control. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems (2017).
- Evaluation of a communication‐based fault ride‐through scheme for offshore wind farms connected through high‐voltage DC links based on voltage source converter. IET Renewable Power Generation (2015).
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