IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 41, NO.
1, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005
System Impact Study for the Interconnection of Wind
Generation and Utility System
Chai Chompoo-inwai, Student Member, IEEE, Wei-Jen Lee, Senior Member, IEEE,
Pradit Fuangfoo, Student Member, IEEE, Mitch Williams, and James R. Liao, Member, IEEE
Abstract—Following in the steps of the gas industry, the tradi-
tional paradigm of the vertically integrated electric utility struc-
ture has begun to change. In the United States, the Federal En-
ergy Regulatory Commission has issued several rules and Notices
of Proposed Rulemaking to set the road map for the deregulated
utility industry. The crisis in California has drawn great atten-
tion and sparked intense discussion within the utility industry. One
general conclusion is to rejuvenate the idea of integrated resource
planning and promote the distributed generation via traditional
or renewable generation facilities for the deregulated utility sys-
tems. Wind generation is one of the most mature and cost-effec-
tive resources among different renewable energy technologies. Re-
cently, several large-scale wind generation projects have been im-
plemented in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Similar to other
new generation facilities, the impacts of a large-scale wind gener-
ation on the system operation, voltage profile, and system security
have to be investigated and studied. Remedies for possible opera-
tion issues have to be evaluated and implemented. This paper dis-
cusses the impact study of connecting a 120-MW wind farm into
the transmission system of a utility company within the Southwest
Power Pool.
Index Terms—Dynamic stability, generation interconnection, in-
duction generator, system impact study.
I. INTRODUCTION
U NDER the restructuring phase of the electric power in-
dustry, the traditional vertically integrated utility environ-
ment is inevitably being changed. The power system operation
will become more competitive and many challenges will arise
[1]. Since it is a clean energy source, has lower impact to the en-
vironment, and never runs out, renewable energy is a hot issue in
today competitive market. Solar and fuel cells are among blis-
tering subjects in the last few decades. However, they still re-
quire a large amount capital investment when large generation
plants are necessitated.
Because wind energy development is consumer and envi-
ronmentally friendly, requires shorter construction time, is cost
competitive, and its permits are usually obtained quickly, it
Paper ICPSD-04-01, presented at the 2004 IEEE/IAS Industrial and Com-
mercial Power Systems Technical Conference, Clearwater Beach, FL, May
1–6, and approved for publication in the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY
APPLICATIONS by the Energy Systems Committee of the IEEE Industry Appli-
cations Society. Manuscript submitted for review May 6, 2004 and released for
publication October 15, 2004.
C. Chompoo-inwai, W.-J. Lee, and P. Fuangfoo are with the Energy Systems
Research Center, The University of Texas, Arlington, TX 76019 USA (e-mail:
cchompooinwai@yahoo.com; lee@exchange.uta.edu; pradit_f@hotmail.com).
M. Williams and J. R. Liao are with the Western Farmers Electric Co-
operative, Anadarko, OK 73005 USA (e-mail: m_williams@wfec.com;
j_liao@wfec.com).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIA.2004.841032
0093-9994/$20.00 © 2005 IEEE
163
becomes one of the most competitive sources of renewable
energy. However, wind has some disadvantages. For example,
wind power is considered as an intermittent power supply
because wind does not blow 100% of the time. Besides, the su-
perior wind sites are usually located in remote areas, therefore,
it may require substantial infrastructure improvement to deliver
the wind-generated power to the load center.
Mostly, wind-powered generators are induction genera-
tors. The induction generator absorbs reactive power during
its normal operating condition. This may create low-voltage
issues in the power system. In addition, power flow pattern
and system dynamic characteristics will also change when
a large-scale wind-powered generation is integrated into the
utility gird [2]–[4]. In the procedure of system impact study,
the steady-state power flow both in normal and contingency
conditions has to be studied to check potential overloading of
the transmission lines. The short-circuit currents on both before
and after the installation of the new wind generation plant have
to be calculated to check the increment of short circuit current
level and the possible needs of infrastructure improvement
(split-bus or breaker upgrade). In addition, system dynamic
simulations have to be performed to ensure the stability of the
power system.
This paper discusses the impact study of connecting a
120-MW wind farm into the transmission system of a utility
company within the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). Methods to
remedy the potential stability problems are also proposed.
II. WIND TURBINE CONCEPTS AND MODELING
A. Steady-State Condition of Wind Turbine
Normally, a wind turbine creates mechanical torque on a
rotating shaft, while an electrical generator on the same rotating
shaft is controlled to produce an opposing electromagnetic
torque. In steady operation, the magnitude of the mechanical
torque is converted to the real power and is delivered to the grid
[7]. The power and torque equations for the wind turbine are as
follows [8]:
(1)
(2)
where
density of air;
swept area of the blade;
performance coefficient;
164 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 41, NO. 1, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005

Fig. 1. Typical performance coefficient versus TSR curve [8].

Fig. 2. Squirrel-cage induction generator [9].

wind speed;
mechanical torque (at low-speed shaft);
output power of the turbine;
rotor speed of the wind turbine—low-speed shaft.
The typical performance coefficient curve is shown in Fig. 1.
The tip-speed ratio (TSR) is illustrated in (3)

(3)

where is the radius of the wind turbine rotor. Fig. 3. Aggregated turbines model (parallel connection) [7].

B. Transient and Dynamic Model of the Studied Wind

Generators
At the present time, there are at least three main wind turbine
technologies among industry. The first one is the squirrel-cage
induction generator which is the simplest one. Based on the
wind speed, this type of wind turbine dynamically adjusts the
pitch of the turbine blades to maintain the turbine in the prox-
imity of a constant speed. Second is the double-fed induction
generator; the stator winding of this generator is coupled with
the system grid, and rotor winding is connected to a back-to-
back voltage-source converter. The converter adjusts the fre-
quency of the rotor feeding current to enable variable-speed op-
eration. The third structure of wind turbine technology is the
direct-drive synchronous generator. The rotor and generator are
coupled directly without gear box.
Since the studied wind farm is still in the planning stage, the
squirrel-cage induction generator type is used in the stability
study. The main reason is that it appears to be the traditional
technology for the turbine. This type of the generator cannot
perform voltage control and it absorbs reactive power from the
grid. From the system analysis point of view, this can be con-
sidered as the worst case scenario.
The squirrel-cage induction generator is normally coupled to
the rotor via a gearbox, as shown in Fig. 2. The purpose of the
gearbox is to provide optimal power output for wider wind speed
ranges.
Fig. 4. Single-line diagram of the new facility. The new wind-powered
generation is connected at bus B, in between buses A and C.
C. Aggregated Model
Multiple wind turbines in the wind farm are required to gen- III. SIMULATION RESULTS
erate 120 MW. From the simulation perspective, an aggregated
model is sufficient to represent the entire wind farm at the sub- A. New Generation Configuration, and Line Flows
station interconnection point. The equivalent system is illus- A single-line diagram of the system near the wind farm is
trated in Fig. 3. shown in Fig. 4. The new facility was integrated into the system
CHOMPOO-INWAI et al.: SYSTEM IMPACT STUDY FOR THE INTERCONNECTION OF WIND GENERATION AND UTILITY SYSTEM 165

TABLE I
SHORT-CIRCUIT CURRENT LEVEL AT INTERESTED BUSES

Fig. 5. SPP summer 2005 base case (Case 1).

via a 138-kV transmission line at the new switching substation.
To avoid releasing any proprietary information to potential com-
petitors, the exact wind farm location is withheld and the bus
names are altered.

B. Load Flow Study Result

The feasibility study investigates the potential impact of

the new generation on system performance during normal and
contingency conditions. The contingency analysis considers the
impact of the new generation on transmission facility loading
and transmission bus voltage during outages of transmission
line, autotransformers, and generators. The latest version of the
Southwest Power Pool 2005 summer peak base case was used
for this study.
The single contingency analysis was performed for the wind
generation project. The analysis indicated that an addition of
the 120 MW of generation creates a slight overloading on the
138/69-kV transformer connected next to bus A (which has a
50-MVA emergency rating) and a high loading on the 138-kV
circuit, line D (with a rating of 150 MVA). To avoid overloading
situation at steady state, the output of the wind farm is limited
to 114 MW in further studies.
C. Short-Circuit Current Study Result
Commercially available software is used to calculate the in-
crement of the short-circuit currents when a fault happens at
neighboring buses of the new proposed generator. Table I shows
fault currents at different buses near the wind farm. All current
flows in the list are expressed in amperes.
The largest increase in bus fault current occurs at bus C. In-
stallation of the new generator at bus G causes the three-phase
fault current at bus C to increase by 18.85%. One more signif-
icant increase of fault current locates at bus A. The 13.2% in-
crease of fault current affected by the new generator was ob-
served. However, they are still under the rating of the existing
circuit breakers. Therefore, no split-bus or circuit breaker up-
grade is necessary for the new installation.
Fig. 6. New wind generation is installed at bus G (Case 2).
D. Dynamic Stability Study Result
Stability analysis was performed to determine the possible
stability problems that can be originated by the new wind gen-
eration. The transmission line model used in this study was the
SPP system model for the 2005 summer peak conditions. Var-
ious system configurations and faults were added to the original
system to determine the possible stability issues from the new
installation.
The stability results are shown in Figs. 5–13. Various studied
cases are designed to show the dynamic response of the system
following critical disturbances in the neighborhood of the pro-
posed new generator. The disturbances were based on a 5-cycle
three-phase fault on different buses near the new wind generator
followed by removing the fault through tripping the line.
Case Model Descriptions: The operating condition of each
individual case is explained below.
Case 1: Base Case
• The SPP 2005 summer peak model is employed.
• No new generator is added to the system (Fig. 5).
166 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 41, NO. 1, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005

Fig. 7. A momentary 5-cycle three-phase fault is applied at Bus A (Case Fig. 10. A three-phase fault is applied at Bus C. Line A is opened at 5 cycles
3). to clear the fault (Case 6).

Fig. 11. A three-phase fault is applied at bus A. Line B is opened at 5 cycles

Fig. 8. A momentary 5-cycle three-phase fault is applied at bus G, the new
to clear the fault (Case 7).
generator bus (Case 4).

Case 2–Case 8: Studied Cases

Fig. 9. A three-phase fault is applied at bus C. Line B is opened at 5 cycles
to clear the fault (Case 5).
• The SPP 2005 summer peak model is used.
• A new 114 MW wind generation is added to the
system.
• The various abnormal system conditions were
studied to investigate the potential stability issues
after the installation of the new generation.
Case 9–Case 11: Methods to Remedy the Stability
Problem Caused by New Wind Generator
The simulation results show the output power of five different
plants near the new generation facility. The following generator
buses are monitored:
• bus number XX812: GEN A2;
• bus number XX947: GEN HG;
• bus number XX996: GEN M1;
• bus number XX997: GEN M2;
• bus number XX004 (Bus G): GEN TRG.
Among monitored buses, Gen HG is the biggest plant deliv-
ering approximately 450 MW to the grid. Other three plants at
CHOMPOO-INWAI et al.: SYSTEM IMPACT STUDY FOR THE INTERCONNECTION OF WIND GENERATION AND UTILITY SYSTEM 167

Fig. 14. The new wind generation unit is operated at 0.95 lagging PF. A
Fig. 12. A three-phase fault is applied at bus C. The new generator is removed three-phase fault is applied to system at bus A. Line B is opened at 5 cycles to
(Case 8). clear the fault (Case 9).

Fig. 15. The new wind generation unit is operated at 0.95 leading PF. A 5-cycle
Fig. 13. Voltage profile of the new generator at Case 5 and Case 7 analyses. three-phase fault is applied at bus C. Undervoltage relay with 30-cycle delay is
activated to disconnect wind farm (Case 10).

buses XX812, XX996, and XX997 are scheduled to distribute

30, 50, and 140 MW to the network, respectively, while new
wind generation unit will be provide 114 MW at steady-state
condition to the system.
It is clear from the results shown in Figs. 9 and 11 that the new
wind generation unit becomes unstable after a 5-cycle three-
phase fault and line B was opened to clear the fault. Fig. 13
shows the voltage profile of the new generator during the dis-
turbance.

IV. PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FOR DYNAMIC

STABILITY PROBLEMS
Simulations have shown that if the wind generator is oper-
ated at 0.95 leading (worst case scenario), the terminal at bus G
will develop undervoltage problems when line B is taken out of
service after the disturbance. To remedy this problem, the fol-
lowing three improvement strategies are proposed. Figs. 14–16 Fig. 16. The new wind generation unit is operated at 0.95 leading PF. A
three-phase fault is applied at bus C. Use transfer switch to disconnect 10-MW
show the simulation results after applying the proposed solution wind generation output after Line B is opened at 5 cycles to clear a fault,
guidelines. (Case 11).
168 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 41, NO. 1, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005
• Operate the new generator at 0.95 lagging power factor.
• Install an undervoltage relay at the new generator bus. This
undervoltage relay will trip the new generator units when
its terminal voltage drops down to the setting value. An
undervoltage relay with 30-cycle delay is implemented in
the study to avoid immediate tripping of the unit during
temporary voltage sags.
• Perform a transfer trip to drop at least 10 MW from the
wind farm when the line B is tripped.
V. CONCLUSION
Wind generation is one of the most mature and cost-effective
resources among different renewable energy technologies. Re-
cently, several large-scale wind generation projects were imple-
mented in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Similar to other
new generation facilities, the impacts of a large-scale wind gen-
eration on the system operation, voltage profile, and system se-
curity have to be investigated and studied. Remedies for possible
operation issues have to be evaluated and implemented. This
paper has discussed the impact study of connecting a 120-MW
wind farm into the transmission system of a utility company
within the SPP. It also presented several different approaches
to mitigate potential stability issues from the new installation.
Due to the utility deregulation, more generators from indepen-
dent power producers (IPPs) have been proposed in recent years.
The procedures for system analysis and potential issues mitiga-
tion approaches described in this paper can be referenced for
this type of development.
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Chai Chompoo-inwai (S’01) received the Bachelors
and Masters degrees in electrical engineering from
the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of
Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute Technology
of Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand. He is currently
working toward the Ph.D. degree in the Energy
System Research Center, The University of Texas,
Arlington.
His major interests include electric power system
analysis, deregulated power systems, power system
transients and dynamic stability, and the Congestion
Management Scheme in power systems.
Wei-Jen Lee (S’85–M’85–SM’97) received the B.S.
and M.S. degrees from National Taiwan University,
Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., in 1978 and 1980, respec-
tively, and the Ph.D. degree from The University
of Texas, Arlington, in 1985, all in electrical engi-
neering.
Following receipt of the Ph.D. degree, he joined
The University of Texas, Arlington, where he is
currently a Professor in the Electrical Engineering
Department. He has been involved in research
on power flow, transient and dynamic stability,
voltage stability, short circuits, relay coordination, power quality analysis, and
deregulation of utility industries. He is also involved in research on the design
of integrated microcomputer-based monitoring, measurement, control, and
protection equipment for electric power systems.
Prof. Lee is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.
Pradit Fuangfoo (S’01) received the Bachelors
degree in electrical engineering from the Department
of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand and the
M.S. degree from the Department of Electrical
Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn
University, Bangkok, Thailand. He is currently
working toward the Ph.D. degree in the Energy
System Research Center, The University of Texas,
Arlington.
His research interests comprise electric power
system analysis, power system reliability, power system distribution, micro
grid systems, and distributed generators.
Mitch Williams received the B.S.M.E. degree from
Kansas State University, Manhattan.
In 1985, he started working in the Generation De-
partment of the Western Farmers Electric Coopera-
tive, Anadarko, OK. He later became a Project Engi-
neer 3. In 1997, he transferred to Corporate Planning
where he became a Senior Planning Engineer.
Mr. Williams participates on many Southwest
Power Pool committees as well as other technical
committees.
James R. Liao (M’89) received the M.S. degree
from the University of Missouri, Rolla, in 1980, and
the Ph.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma,
Norman, in 1992, both in electrical engineering.
Since 1980, he has been with the Western Farmers
Electric Cooperative, Anadarko, OK. He was a Trans-
mission/Generation Systems Analyst from 1980 to
1985 and an EMS System Software Engineer from
1985 to 1999. Since 1999, he has been Principal Op-
erations Engineer.
Dr. Liao is a Registered Professional Engineer in
the State of Oklahoma.