Hybrid Wind-Diesel generation plant, Bach Long Vi

This project is considered to be one of the pioneers in wind and diesel hybrid generation plants using variable speed wind turbine in a very weak isolated power system.

The project started in 2000, when the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Young Communist Party decided to bring power to Bach Long Vi island, to serve the local people’s production and living. Since wind resource in the island is abundant, this was the selected source of power to be integrated in a traditional diesel generation power plant.

The project included one 800KVA-capacity wind turbine manufactured by the Spanish company MADE; two diesel power generators with capacity of 414KVA each, network system, operation house, etc. with total investment capital of 34 billion dongs. The turbine started to work four years after the project started.

Effergy was actively involved in this project, providing control hardware and control algorithm, and commissioning for the first large scale hybrid power plant of this characteristics in the world, carried out during , representing a technical challenge at the moment when it was developed and implemented.
The project’s goal was to integrate the variable-speed MADE 800kW wind turbine generator (WTG) with two diesel generators in the power system of Bach Long Vi Island.

The activities performed by Effergy in this project can be summarized as:

a) Preliminary Technical-Economic study to determine the optimal hybrid solution, windturbine size, technology, power sharing, etc. Simulations made with collected data from considering current fuel cost and wind resource measurements.

b) Previous system level analysis to determine the maximum penetration level with a standard wind turbine, and simulations in PSCAD software to determine the necessary features to meet Energy Quality standards in this weak and isolated system.

c) Introduction of new control techniques for improvement of system stability by using mechanical energy stored in the wind turbine’s rotor and power train inertia to supply extra power if needed to stabilize system’s frequency stabilization.

d) Test bench design and building. The whole system was previously replicated in Monte Ahumada experimental wind farm, in the South of Spain, having the same generator used in Bach Long Vi, similar Diesel generator, electronic load and transformer to re-circulate full power.

e) Testing in field, analyzing worst conditions that could be found in Vietnam, including extremely requiring load and generation step changing transients.

f) A control system validation in Spain, with the presence of Vietnam Government delegates.

g) Commissioning in Bach Long Vi, and Field testing for validation and acceptance.