Economic comparison of VSC HVDC and HVAC as transmission system for a 300 MW offshore wind farm

Voltage source converter high voltage direct current (VSC HVDC) is a relatively new technology which allows the connection of islanded power systems. As such, it can form a connection between large-scale future offshore wind farms and the onshore transmission grid. In this paper, the VSC HVDC solution is proposed as a promising alternative for high voltage alternating current (HVAC). The choice for a transmission technology is primarily based on economic considerations. Therefore, the economic value of VSC HVDC is investigated in this paper. VSC HVDC has important technical advantages for submarine installation compared to HVAC. The aim is to monetize these advantages in an economic comparison. Possible wind farm topology simplifications and optimizations due to the use of VSC HVDC are taken into account. Depending on the ownership of the transmission cable, the break-even cable length, above which the HVDC option is chosen, varies. A sensitivity analysis is included in this paper. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.