Turbines tested with grid emulation
- The Challenge
Wind farm needs power to quickly commission 122 turbines
- The Solution
3 MW temporary mini-grid lets turbine testing begin
- The Impact
Developer gets tick of approval and collects tax credit
Client:Wind farm developer
Location:USA
Sectors:Utilities
The Challenge
Commission 122 turbines with no grid power
A wind farm in the USA wanted 122 turbines constructed and fully operational within four months to qualify for a tax credit – a very tight timeframe. And it was made even trickier by the fact that grid power wasn’t scheduled for switch-on until later in the year.
To get these turbines commissioned in time for the tax credit, the wind farm needed a reliable source of backfeed power, and fast, so they called us in to help.
The Solution
Shared expertise and a 3 MW mini grid
The temporary substation we designed was a team effort. We worked with load bank experts ComRent, the developer, the turbine manufacturer and the electrical engineer of record to hatch a plan that would meet the site’s commissioning needs. That is, 400 kW and six hours of run time per turbine. All 122 of them.
We quickly installed a 3 MW temporary mini-grid complete with generators, load banks, circuit breakers, transformers, fuel tanks and more than 6,000 feet of electrical cable. And we had a specialist on-site throughout the entire commissioning process, for monitoring and maintenance.
Aggreko
The Impact
Testing a success and tax credit collected
With our temporary mini-grid in place, the wind farm could schedule commissioning 12 hours a day, six days a week. No time was lost in testing the turbines – the job was completed in the planned timeframe so the developers could claim their tax credit.
Working with ComRent, we created realistic conditions for the testing phase, so the wind turbines could be safely put through their paces in a very controlled environment. The outcome? A fully compliant wind farm that was 100% ready to go once the grid was connected.