Offshore wind turbine test developer R&D Test Systems has installed the world’s first fault ride through (FRT) test system rated at 66 kV for the Østerild test facility for wind turbines in Denmark. The system will help the wind turbine manufacturer Vestas conduct extreme voltage tests to ensure its turbines meet international standards required for grid connection.

The system is engineered to meet Vestas’ specific testing requirements following the installation of a large prototype turbine at the Østerild test site at the National Test Centre for Large Wind Turbines operated by the Danish Technical University. The FRT system allows turbines to be tested directly at the operating voltage of Source: R&D Test SystemsSource: R&D Test Systems66 kV, avoiding any set-down transformer converting the test setup to 33 kV, and is designed to address the varying grid standards in force in Germany, Spain, the U.S. and Canada to ensure compliance with different international grid standards.

FRT testing is conducted to demonstrate that wind turbines are resilient to grid power quality issues, such as when power transmission cables are damaged in a storm. The test is designed to ensure that the generating units, increasingly located out at sea, do not fail due to voltage variations in the power transmission network — a scenario that could lead to costly downtime, maintenance, and, in extreme situations, power outages.

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