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Feature30 November 2020,
updated23 November 2021Siemens EnergyHamburg
Wind energy is at the center of the transition to a less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy system. Although the share of renewables in global electricity generation is rising, renewable power as a whole still needs to expand to meet decarbonization targets set by governments around the world. Siemens Energy is committed to driving this potential into real growth for the future of renewable power and offers a whole range of power transmission equipment, grid access solutions and services for the wind industry. To
date Siemens Energy received orders for 22 grid connections with more
than 13 gigawatts of offshore wind and produced more than 4,000 units of
sustainable high-voltage products such as distribution transformers and
switchgear for original equipment manufacturer of wind turbines.
News
Siemens Energy supplies main electrical equipment for largest US offshore wind project
Siemens
Energy will supply the main electrical equipment for the grid connection of the
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project. The 2.6-gigawatt wind farm, that will
include up to 180 turbines standing slightly more than 800 feet tall, is the
largest offshore wind project under development in the U.S. Siemens Energy will
deliver the high-voltage electrical equipment for the three offshore platforms,
that will collect the low voltage energy generated by the wind turbines and
transmit it at a higher voltage to shore. Once fully commissioned in 2026, the
project will prevent up to 5 million tons of CO2 emissions
annually and supply up to 660,000 households in Virginia.
The
project is developed by U.S. utility company Dominion Energy and located 27
miles off the shores of Virgina Beach. Siemens Energy will deliver for each of
the three 800 megawatt offshore platforms: three power transformers,
three shunt reactors, one medium-voltage gas insulated switchgear (GIS) and
three high-voltage GIS systems to Semco Maritime, which among other things is
responsible for design, procurement and installation of the electrical
equipment. The system solution is specifically designed to significantly reduce
both the size and weight of the platform, lowering the need for the use of
steel in the construction and thus making the platform more resource- and
cost-effective.
Bringing energy efficiently to shore
Alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC)? The best grid access solution depends on various factors including output and distance. As the world’s leading partner for offshore wind farm grid connections Siemens Energy has extensive experience in this area.
To date Siemens Energy accounts for 14 offshore grid connections with 6 gigawatts (GW) of alternating current transmission. Four of them (ca. 2.5 GW) with the company’s innovative Offshore Transformer Module (OTM) technology. The modular solution is significantly smaller in size and weight compared to conventional AC platforms. For the grid connection of the 950 megawatts (MW) Moray East Offshore Windfarm project in Scotland, Siemens Energy is connecting in a world’s first three of its Offshore Transformer Modules® (OTM).The greater the distance, the more important it becomes to minimize the unavoidable physical power losses, and this is where DC technology comes into play. To date Siemens Energy received orders for seven offshore grid connections with 6 GW of DC transmission. In the German North Sea alone the company successfully completed five grid connections with two more to come. A total of about seven million households will be supplied with electricity generated from wind power via these seven links.
Transforming wind energy efficiently and reliably
While wind turbines were producing 0.5 megawatt (MW) of power at a height of 40 meters in 1990, today’s wind turbines produce 10 MW and beyond requiring higher voltage levels and innovative technologies. To manage the voltage reliably and efficiently step-up transformers are crucial. They convert generated electricity to the requisite voltage level for power transmission on high-voltage lines and cables.
For on- and offshore wind farms Siemens Energy delivered about 30,000 units of fire-resistant GEAFOL cast-resin transformers for up to 40.5 kilovolt (kV), 1,000 of them for offshore wind projects. More than 3,000 units of the company’s ester fluid immersed FITformer Wind transformer were installed in wind offshore applications worldwide. The lightweight and compact transformers can be placed in the wind turbines nacelle and are equipped as Siemens Energy Sensformer, that means they come with inbuilt connectivity and optimized operation.
Driving decarbonization with Blue technology
Switchgear protect the wind turbines from overloads and short circuits and thereby ensure an uninterruptible power supply. Siemens Energy’s gas insulated switchgear (GIS) of type 8VM1 was developed specifically for use in offshore wind turbines. The innovative switchgear represents an answer to new market requirements for two reasons: Due to increased wind turbine power, there is a movement to high voltage within the wind turbine network to decrease the current and therefore the cable losses. The GIS 8VM1 has a capacity of up to 72.5 kV, thus enabling higher voltages within wind turbines. As part of Siemens Energy’s eco-friendly “Blue Portfolio”, it utilizes vacuum interrupters for switching functions and clean air (industrially purified air) as the insulation medium representing an environmentally friendly alternative to the potentially climate-harming insulating gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
An example: 1,400 tons of CO2 emissions can be saved by the application of one of Siemens Energy’s 8VM1 bay, compared to a standard SF6-filled gas-insulated switchgear bay.
Just recently, Siemens Energy commissioned an eco-friendly 66 kV power transmission system with a 8VM1 blue GIS, which complements one of China’s largest offshore eight-megawatt wind turbines.
Press Releases
- Siemens receives major order from TenneT for DolWin6 offshore grid connection
- Siemens Energy’s eco-friendly system complements one of China’s largest offshore wind turbines
- Wind farm places the first SF6-free Siemens high-voltage switchgear (GIS) into operation
- Siemens wins order for its largest offshore grid connection in the UK to date
Infographics
To date Siemens Energy has connected more than 12 gigawatts of offshore wind energy to the grid in Europe and produced more than 4000 units of sustainable high-voltage products such as distribution transformers or SF6-free switchgear for original equipment manufacturer of wind turbines.
In the German North Sea high-voltage direct current
technology from Siemens Energy connects around 7 million households with
offshore energy.
Siemens Energy will provide
high-voltage direct current technology for New York’s first utility scale
offshore wind farm. Located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Long Island,
Sunrise Wind will supply green energy to nearly 600,000 homes in New York State.
Press Pictures
Siemens Energy will deliver 114 low-loss 66kV distribution transformers for the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm in Scotland. The solution has been specifically designed to pass through the opening in the tower base without disassembly. Earlier Siemens Energy’s compact transformers also helped to enable the Deutsche Bucht offshore wind farm (in the picture) in the German North Sea, together with MHI Vestas Offshore Wind.
A growing number and size of offshore wind parks
require efficient and sustainable systems for power transmission. Siemens
Energy is committed
to driving the potential of offshore wind energy into real growth for the
future of renewable power and offers a whole range of power transmission
products and systems, turnkey solutions, and services for the wind
industry.
To
date Siemens Energy has received orders to connect more than 13 gigawatts of offshore wind
energy to the grid. In the German North Sea alone the company successfully
completed five grid connections with two more to come. The offshore platform of
the grid connection BorWin3 in the picture can transmit up to 900 megawatts of
wind energy, enough to supply over one million German households.
Siemens Energy has been
awarded its first offshore grid connection project in the United States. In a
consortium with Aker Solutions, the company will supply the high-voltage direct
current (HVDC) transmission system that will bring green energy from Sunrise
Wind, New York’s first utility-scale offshore wind project, to the mainland. The
offshore converter station in the picture will collect the alternating current
power generated by the wind turbines and transform it to direct current.
Further Information
Links
- Website: Grid Access Solutions
- Website: Transmission Products
- Website: Service
- Success Story: 8VM1 Blue GIS successfully seismic tested
- Success Story: Powering Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, U.S.
- Success Story: A landmark for renewable energy
- Success Story: Environmentally friendly, robust and highly efficient products for OEMs of wind turbine generators