Functional Specifications and Testing Requirements of Grid-Forming Type-IV Offshore Wind Power

TL;DR

This paper reviews and synthesizes functional specifications and testing requirements for grid-forming converters, focusing on offshore wind power applications, and discusses new testing methodologies for certification and validation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review and outlook of GFM specifications and testing requirements specifically tailored for offshore wind power plants from an OEM perspective.

Findings

Reviewed multiple sources of GFM specifications

Proposed outlook for offshore wind applications

Highlighted importance of new testing methodologies

Abstract

Throughout the past few years, various transmission system operators (TSOs) and research institutes have defined several functional specifications for grid-forming (GFM) converters via grid codes, white papers, and technical documents. These institutes and organisations also proposed testing requirements for general inverter-based resources (IBRs) and specific GFM converters. This paper initially reviews functional specifications and testing requirements from several sources to create an understanding of GFM capabilities in general. Furthermore, it proposes an outlook of the defined GFM capabilities, functional specifications, and testing requirements for offshore wind power plant (OF WPP) applications from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) perspective. Finally, this paper briefly establishes the relevance of new testing methodologies for equipment-level certification and model validation, focusing on GFM functional specifications.