Experience and New Requirements for Transformers for Renewable Generation
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About this event:
Around the world, renewable generation is being installed to replace traditional, fossil fuel generation. The main sources of generation are wind, solar and hydro-electric. These generators require transformers to connect them to the grid. There are also requirements for transformers to supply power to electric vehicle charging stations, heat pumps, battery energy storage systems and increased load due to general population growth and electrification.
Millions of transformers are required to fulfil these requirements. Thousands have already been installed. There needs to be adaptation of the grid to accept embedded generation and bi-directional power flow.
Many of these applications also use inverters to connected the generated power to the grid, through a step-up (or step-down) transformer. The load on the transformers can fluctuate rapidly due to the intermittent nature of wind and solar energy, the requirement to import or export power and other factors. These issues can cause transformer failures. The use of new materials such as ester fluids and aramid insulation, and the move towards higher temperature transformers, may also lead to previously unforeseen failures or problems. There is anecdotal evidence that such transformers may have higher failure rates than the general transformer population.
This webinar explored some of these issues and presented new working group A2.1.68, along with future expectations of CIGRE AG A2.08 to investigate failure modes and recommend further activities.
The presentation can be found by clicking on this link: CIGRE UK Webinar February 2023
To view a video of the webinar click on the image below.
=This Webinar series is kindly sponsored by Burns & McDonnell
Speaker – Elizabeth MacKenzie
Elizabeth qualified with a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from The Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB) in 1984. She spent a year on the Scottish Engineering Training Scheme before taking up a permanent post as a design engineer with Bonar Long, designing medium power and distribution transformers. The company eventually became part of ABB and Elizabeth was one of the leading engineers involved in expanding the factory range up to 400kV.
After leaving ABB, Elizabeth joined Hawker Siddeley Power Transformers (HSPT) as Development Manager, developing transformer design programs and facilitating integration of the engineering departments in the company’s three transformer plants. After HSPT closed, Elizabeth spent some time as an independent consultant before joining Kelman, later GE, as product manager for multi-gas transformer dissolved gas analysis (DGA) monitoring systems. During this period she qualified with an MSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from QUB and also became a Fellow of the IEE (now the IET).
Elizabeth moved to Winder Power as Engineering Manager, overseeing the engineering department and quality department, designing medium power and distribution transformers as well as leading a small electrical machines division. Since leaving Winder Power, Elizabeth has been an independent consultant, working with companies such as Threepwood Consulting Limited and IST Power. Her main interest is transformers from conception to disposal, and she has also been involved in documentation projects for several companies.
Elizabeth is a Distinguished Member of CIGRE and is currently the Additional Regular Member for CIGRE A2 in the UK and is a member of AG2-08. She has been active in the SC 12 and A2 community in the UK since 1998 and was a member of WG A2.44 for a few years.