Wind farms connected to weak grids in India : Wind Farms Connected to Weak Grids in India

This article describes the mutual influence between the wind turbines and the power quality in the Indian power systems. The Indian power systems are weak in general and the wind energy development has been very fast and concentrated in a few rural areas where the existing transmission and distribution grids are very weak.

Therefore the mutual influence between wind turbines and power quality is particularly strong in India. The wind farms influence power quality aspects such as steady state voltage, power factor, flicker and harmonic and interharmonic distortion. The power quality of the grid influences the power performance and safety of the wind turbines and the lifetime of mechanical and electrical components.

The findings presented are general for wind farms connected to weak grids, but the Indian case is pronounced concerning weakness of grid as well as wind energy penetration level. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.