Duke Energy eGrid
The Duke Energy eGRID (Electrical Grid Research Innovation and Development) will allow for testing of the wind turbine generator's compatibility to 50 or 60 Hz electrical transmission grids. This is important to ensure the wind turbines have minimal impact on the existing grid as well as grid disturbances having minimal impact on the machines.
The addition of a 15 MW Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) Grid Simulator leverages the electrical infrastructure of the Dominion Energy Innovation Center and allows wind turbine generator (WTG) manufacturers to test both mechanical and electrical characteristics of their machines in a well-controlled and calibrated environment. By moving many electrical testing scenarios that were only previously available by field demonstrations into a controlled environment, the HIL Grid Simulator will give WTG manufacturers a platform to ensure new innovations meet even more stringent global electrical standards. This will increase reliability and lower the cost of energy delivered. The 15 MW HIL Grid Simulator will provide electrical testing beyond fault ride-through testing for the Center to provide a complete suite of electrical testing solutions to the power conversion industry as a whole (not just the wind industry) at the multi-megawatt level.
