La Plana demosite awarded grid code compliance certificate by DNV GL
The La Plana demosite (near Zaragoza, Spain) of Siemens Gamesa Renewables was awarded the grid code compliance certificate. The demosite is part of TALENT's activities, where the results coming from the management software for decentralised and hybridised energy systems will be validated.
The pilot plant was commissioned in 2015 to explore the potential of hybrid power. It combines 850 kW of wind power, 245 kWp of solar photovoltaic panels three optional diesel generators and two types of battery energy storage technologies with a novel hybrid plant controller (HPC) that manages the mix of generating technologies in real time. This is one of the most innovative installations in the hybridisation of wind turbine, solar energy with diesel integration and storage. Moreover, it is able to operate both connected and disconnected from local grid to perform every kind of test, especially within TALENT's activities.
The Type Certificate for control behaviour and other grid code requirements, based on tailored testing approach within existing specification, proves the potential to support grid stability and features specially developed tests for control functions that are not yet covered by international guidelines. This certificate aims to demonstrate that hybrid plants can meet the requirements for a wide range of grid supply applications, from frequency response or ramp-rate control to energy arbitrage and peak shaving.
“Hybrid plants combining different sources of green energy with storage may prove key to providing stability to electricity grids in the future and help make renewable energy even more reliable. The requirements for renewable generation plants are becoming more demanding every day, and the assets commissioned in every project are going to be quite different from one project to another because the right assets will depend on renewable resources, grid requirements and so on. Thanks to La Plana test site SGRE is ready to validate any control solution or asset to meet any of these requirements.” said Alberto Alonso Cantalapiedra, Head of Renewables and Storage Power Plants Integration Testing.
