One application of high–voltage dc (HVdc) systems is the connection of remotely located offshore wind power plants (WPPs). In these systems, the offshore WPP grid and the synchronous main grid operate in decoupled mode, and the onshore HVdc converter fulfills the grid code requirements of the main grid. Thus, the offshore grid can be operated independently during normal conditions by the offshore HVdc converter and the connected wind turbines. In general, it is well known that optimized reactive power allocation might lower the component loading and power losses. This paper aims to propose and assess a reactive power allocation optimization within HVdc–connected WPPs. For these systems, the offshore converter operates the adjoining grid by imposing frequency and voltage. The reference voltage magnitude is used as additional control variable for the optimization algorithm. The loss function incorporates both the collection grid and the converter losses. The use of the proposed strategy results in an effective reduction of losses compared to conventional reactive power dispatch strategies alongside with improvements of the voltage profile. A case study for a 500 MW–sized WPP demonstrates an additional annual energy production of 6819 MWh or an economical benefit of 886 k€yr-1 when using the proposed strategy.Postprint (author's final draft

The Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) topology is discussed intensively as a crucial part of future DC grids, especially to integrate offshore wind power. While generalized voltage source converter models are usually utilized for multiterminal investigations, conclusions on transient DC grid behavior and on ACDC interactions during distorted AC grid conditions are hard to draw or limited in their significance. In this paper, a MMC based DC grid framework with a tripartite focus on internal converter, DC and AC grid control is presented. Besides an evaluation of the implemented MMC model that incorporates the available arm sum voltage, a decoupled AC and DC current system control concept suitable to handle unbalanced voltage conditions is derived for HVDC applications. Combined with wind farm arrays, this collocation allows a meaningful examination of hybrid ACDC structures and the implementedDC grid control methodologies. To provide proof of the universal applicability of this framework, simulations are carried out on a five terminal system. Index Terms-generalized MMC modeling, HVDC grid control, MMC energy balancing, power converter, unbalanced operation, wind power integration 0885-8977 (c)

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This research envisages the droop control design of multi voltage source converter systems for offshore networks to integrate wind power plant with the grids. An offshore AC network is formulated by connecting several nearby wind power plants together with AC cables. The net energy in the network is transferred to onshore using voltage source high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) transmissionsystems. In the proposed configuration, an offshore network is energized by more than one VSC-HVDC system, hereby providing redundancy to continue operation in case of failure in one of the HVDC transmission lines. The power distribution between VSC-HVDC systems is done using a droop control scheme. Frequency droop is implemented to share active power, and voltage droop is implemented to share reactive power. Furthermore, a method of calculating droop gains according to the contribution factor of each converter is presented. The system has been analyzed to evaluate the voltage profile of the network affected by the droop control. Nonlinear dynamic simulation has been performed for the verification of the control principle.

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