50Hertz contracts four STATCOMs for grid stability
Visualisation of a STATCOM-unit of GE Vernova. Photo credits: GE Vernova.
German TSO 50Hertz has awarded contracts for four static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs) including three systems from GE Vernova and one E-STATCOM from NIDEC Conversion.
According to the Elia Group company in a release, the installations are needed as greater amounts of wind and solar power will be integrated into the grids, and the feed-in from thermal power plants, with their grid-stabilising generators, will continue to decrease.
STATCOMs are large installations in substations equipped with power electronics that are used for dynamic voltage stabilisation. E-STATCOMs can stabilise the frequency as well.
These generators are installed on certain strategic spots in the grid and can respond to voltage deviations within a few milliseconds.
Commenting in a release was Dr Dirk Biermann, chief operating officer of 50Hertz: “STATCOM-solutions are a necessary and important element of the energy transition.
“They provide continuously variable reactive power in response to voltage fluctuations and allow us to strengthen the resilience of our grid as we move forward with renewable energy integration. STATCOM technology supports stabilising the power grids in an energy system with more and more fluctuating renewable energies and less power plants based on fossil fuels.”
GE Vernova’s systems
The three systems from US-based manufacturer GE Vernova will be installed in 50Hertz’s substations, two in Siedenbrünzow (in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and one in Röhrsdorf (in Saxony) as ready-to-use installations.
Specifically, the company will instal its 300 Mvar FACTSFLEX GFM solution with Grid Forming Control software.
According to GE Vernova in a release, with the software as a support, the solution is designed to automatically adapt to fluctuations in the grid voltage, keeping the grid stable.
The solution will also include transformers, circuit breakers, and protection and control equipment to provide a fully integrated and reliable system.
The STATCOM units are planned to be designed and manufactured at GE Vernova’s grid solutions facilities in Dresden (Germany) and Tampere (Finland), with additional components, including valves, supplied from Stafford (UK) and transformers from Mönchengladbach (Germany).
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NIDEC Conversion’s E-STATCOM
Italian manufacturer NIDEC Conversion will build what they call a second-generation STATCOM, operating under the name ‘E-STATCOM’, in the substation of Malchow in Berlin.
According to the company, unlike first-generation STATCOM systems, which primarily stabilise voltage, the second-generation extends this to frequency as well, providing dynamic reactive power and inertial response to grid fluctuations.
Developed by NIDEC in Italy, the system can exchange up to 150MW of power within 1.25 seconds thanks to the support of supercapacitor modules, which ensure the shortest possible discharge and recharge times.
The system is scheduled for commissioning in 2028
Said Dominique Llonch, CEO of Nidec Conversion: “This innovative technology is a crucial step in addressing the challenges of integrating renewable energy into the grid, providing both voltage and frequency stability. We are committed to supporting Europe’s renewable energy goals and ensuring a more reliable and resilient energy future.”
The case for STATCOMs
European grid operators have been increasingly installing STATCOM systems as more renewables come online and grid stability becomes more of a critical question.
According to 50Hertz, in an alternating current power grid, electricity can only flow smoothly across large distances if the active power that arrives at the consumer’s location is proportionate to reactive power.
Reactive power is essential to create and break down a magnetic field 50 times per second so that the voltage is maintained during electricity transmission.
The voltage allows control over the electricity volume to be transported. If there is too much reactive power in the grid, less electricity is transported, whereas if there is not enough reactive power, the voltage drops, which can lead to disturbances in the electricity supply.
STATCOMs can respond in a fraction of a second and without interruption, ensuring a constant power flow, whereas deviations upwards or downwards from the 50 hertz frequency occur if either too much or too little electricity is fed into the overall system, or if there is a sudden increase or decrease in electricity consumption.
This therefore concerns the electricity volume, not the voltage level. Short-term storage units can briefly take or deliver electricity to stabilise the grid during switching.
Altogether, 50Hertz will instal dozens of STATCOM systems and other voltage and frequency stability and restraint systems at many sites in the years to come.
A static and dynamic reactive power volume of more than 16,000 Mvar was confirmed in the 2023 Grid Development Plan for 2037/2045, which considers E-STATCOMs to be the way forward.
The currently ordered STATCOMs each have a dynamic reactive power of +/- 300 Mvar. In the Lubmin substation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, two STATCOMs are already operational, while other installations are being built in the substations of Lauchstädt (Saxony-Anhalt), Weida (Thuringia) and Ragow (Brandenburg).
