A review of international grid codes for wind power integration

Abstract

The installation of wind power plants (WPPs) has experienced significant growth in recent years. This growth is primarily driven by the increasing demand for clean energy sources. In particular, in certain countries with abundant wind generation potential, the lack of diversity in their energy sector creates an urgent demand for wind power (WP). To facilitate the integration of WPPs, the grid code plays an essential role. In this context, a comprehensive review and comparative analysis of common technical specifications given in international grid codes have been conducted, including 11 grid codes from 10 countries and 1 organization. Specifically, this study mainly covers 5 aspects of the WPP’s integration: WPP classification, nominal operating range, active power controllability requirement, reactive power controllability requirement and abnormal conditions tolerance. Moreover, considering the emerging grid-forming (GFM) technologies for renewable energy integration, recent progress reported by 5 transmission system operators (TSOs) and 3 research projects has been summarized, offering insights into future GFM wind development. Conclusions are then presented to highlight the findings and the potential challenges in applying GFM specifications in practice. • A review of common technical specifications given in international grid codes. • This study mainly covers 5 aspects of the WPPs integration. • Recent progress in GFM technology specifications have been summarized.