Belgiums turbines
A fleet of giant wind turbines off the nation’s coast is generating power not only for its mainland but also for the United Kingdom, located more than 80 miles across the North Sea.
With a demanding deadline, the ambitious wind integration project by Belgian grid operator Elia went online in early 2019 without a glitch. Consequently, renewable energy generated by offshore wind is benefitting millions of homes and businesses in Belgium and beyond.
“Integrating our offshore wind energy into the European grid has improved the future security of supply of electricity for a wide region,” said Elia Project Manager Rodolphe Hanuise, based in Brussels.
The project came to fruition with the help of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), whose engineers, technicians, and other employees worked late hours in multiple countries to meet a tight target date.
Because the new integrated grid couldn’t be brought online until SEL implemented a special protection scheme (SPS) to ensure stable delivery of power, “it was definitely a high-pressure deadline,” Hanuise said. “Many people were counting on it.”
During the project kick-off meeting in Belgium, he recalled wondering if SEL could complete the SPS in such a short time, especially with the high quality of technical work that was required.
“It’s hard to believe now, but I actually didn’t think it would be possible,” he said.
Today, 318 wind turbines are anchored off the Belgian coastline, making Belgium the world’s fourth-largest producer of offshore wind power, according to the industry organization WindEurope. Rising as tall as 58 stories above the surface of the North Sea, the turbines are capable of generating 8,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year, enough to power 2 million homes.
These powerful fan-like structures harvest the abundant and consistent winds found at sea, enabling the turbines to generate continuous energy. Also, with the turbines operating in a patch stretching 14 to 33 miles from the coast, sea views are unobstructed for Belgians and tourists alike.
BOOM FUELED BY NEW TECHNOLOGIES, LOWER COSTS
But even though the link was finished and tested late last year, engineers would not energize it until the SPS was in place.
“The amount of power capable of being transported through the transmission corridor—both from the offshore windfarms and from the HVdc link—is equivalent of up to three nuclear reactors,” Hanuise explained.
Meaning that if a severe storm were to trigger a fault, power stability could be compromised.
To avoid blackouts, an SPS was needed to detect abnormal conditions along the corridor and quickly respond. Ultimately, Elia selected a company outside Europe to provide it.
“We picked Schweitzer Engineering for two main reasons,” said Hanuise. “They proposed the best solution with very technologically advanced relays. We also took into account that they had done comparable SPS projects in other countries, such as Georgia and Uruguay, with very good results.”
A fleet of giant wind turbines off the nation’s coast is generating power not only for its mainland but also for the United Kingdom, located more than 80 miles across the North Sea.
With a demanding deadline, the ambitious wind integration project by Belgian grid operator Elia went online in early 2019 without a glitch. Consequently, renewable energy generated by offshore wind is benefitting millions of homes and businesses in Belgium and beyond.
“Integrating our offshore wind energy into the European grid has improved the future security of supply of electricity for a wide region,” said Elia Project Manager Rodolphe Hanuise, based in Brussels.
The project came to fruition with the help of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), whose engineers, technicians, and other employees worked late hours in multiple countries to meet a tight target date.
Because the new integrated grid couldn’t be brought online until SEL implemented a special protection scheme (SPS) to ensure stable delivery of power, “it was definitely a high-pressure deadline,” Hanuise said. “Many people were counting on it.”
During the project kick-off meeting in Belgium, he recalled wondering if SEL could complete the SPS in such a short time, especially with the high quality of technical work that was required.
“It’s hard to believe now, but I actually didn’t think it would be possible,” he said.
Today, 318 wind turbines are anchored off the Belgian coastline, making Belgium the world’s fourth-largest producer of offshore wind power, according to the industry organization WindEurope. Rising as tall as 58 stories above the surface of the North Sea, the turbines are capable of generating 8,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year, enough to power 2 million homes.
These powerful fan-like structures harvest the abundant and consistent winds found at sea, enabling the turbines to generate continuous energy. Also, with the turbines operating in a patch stretching 14 to 33 miles from the coast, sea views are unobstructed for Belgians and tourists alike.
BOOM FUELED BY NEW TECHNOLOGIES, LOWER COSTS
But even though the link was finished and tested late last year, engineers would not energize it until the SPS was in place.
“The amount of power capable of being transported through the transmission corridor—both from the offshore windfarms and from the HVdc link—is equivalent of up to three nuclear reactors,” Hanuise explained.
Meaning that if a severe storm were to trigger a fault, power stability could be compromised.
To avoid blackouts, an SPS was needed to detect abnormal conditions along the corridor and quickly respond. Ultimately, Elia selected a company outside Europe to provide it.
“We picked Schweitzer Engineering for two main reasons,” said Hanuise. “They proposed the best solution with very technologically advanced relays. We also took into account that they had done comparable SPS projects in other countries, such as Georgia and Uruguay, with very good results.”
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