Connection of offshore wind parks: HVAC and HVDC-LCC links with STATCOM

High wind speeds and wide available area at sea have recently increased the global interest on offshore wind farms. As offshore wind farms become larger and are placed further from the shore, the power transmission to the onshore grid becomes a key feature. The objective of this work is to give further insight to HVAC and HVDC-LCC transmission systems. Several compensation schemes for absorbing the excessive reactive power associated to HVAC are evaluated. Furthermore, the benefits of the STATCOM, namely in what concerns its improved voltage control capabilities, are addressed for both technologies. The results obtained bare some similarities, but also important differences, which are highlighted in the paper.