Clean energy, generated from renewable sources, is undoubtedly and justifiably on the rise. In the last two decades, renewable energies have evolved from a “nice-to-have” energy source, only considered marginally and operated uneconomically for long periods, to a necessity, now even enshrined in national commitments around the world. While wind energy (onshore and offshore) still dominates with a 20 percent share of total electricity generation in 2021, photovoltaics (8.8%), biomass (7.5%), and hydropower (3.4%) will also be expanded more in the future.
However, even with this type of electricity production, attention must be paid to efficient use and electrically efficient power conversion, so that losses are kept to a minimum. Even if the sources are virtually inexhaustible, the space and technology used to exploit these sources are limited. REO components such as braking resistors and power filters help to ensure that clean energy really is clean.
This is because, with the increasing complexity of renewable technologies, the power conversion process can become a source of problems for power quality. According to a British study, in variable-speed wind turbines that use doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs), 30 percent of the total rated power is accounted for by the power electronic converter that supplies the rotor winding. The DFIG winding is usually directly connected to the grid, which can lead to impairments of sensitive electronics. The impairment manifests itself in a shortened service life of the components or even unplanned downtimes.
Another problem that negatively affects power quality is a possible energy surplus in the system. This can be the case, for example, when a wind turbine is too slow to adjust the pitch angles of the nacelle and rotor blades when wind speed changes, or the mechanical braking system has to bring the rotor blades to a standstill. This overvoltage can overload the electronics and cause permanent damage.
So how can the problems with power quality be eliminated? REO has the right series in its program for these requirements: The components include EMC filters for suppressing high-current interference, braking resistors for dissipating excess energy in the form of heat, and other components such as mains chokes and output chokes. You can find all the products for this in our clear brochure.
