Wind Energy Systems

Chapter 6

Wind Generator Grid Integration Issues

6.1 Introduction

Wind power is often described as an “intermittent”—and therefore unreliable—energy source. In fact, at the power system level wind energy does not start and stop at irregular intervals, so the term intermittent is misleading. The output of aggregated wind capacity is variable, just as the power system itself is inherently variable. Since wind power production is dependent on the wind, the output of a turbine and wind farm varies over time under the influence of meteorological fluctuations. These variations occur on all time scales: by seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, seasons, and years. Understanding and predicting these variations is essential for successfully integrating ...