Wind power plant substation and collector system redundancy, reliability, and economics

This paper presents basic guidelines on design considerations for wind power plant substation and collector system based on redundancy, reliability, and economics. Design considerations, although similar to utility substation and underground or overhead distribution systems, often include aspects not normally considered for those systems. This paper will highlight design considerations unique to wind power plant design comparing economic and reliability benefits among available design options. Power loss analysis in a typical wind power plant is explained. Finally, an overall economic analysis to be considered when designing a new wind power plant is presented.