Wind Turbine Farm Network Grounding Design Using Integrated Simulation Methods and Techniques

The design of a wind farm grounding system including the substation and wind turbine generators of the collector network is a very comprehensive task. Powerful integrated grounding simulation methods and design techniques that are appropriate for carrying out this kind of work are presented and discussed in this paper. They include soil structure model selection based on in-situ soil resistivity test data, current distribution calculations for phase-to-ground faults at the substation and wind turbines, design of the substation and wind turbine grounding systems and safety evaluations of the grounding systems. The methods and techniques presented in this paper can be used as a reference guide when designing grounding systems of a large wind farm network.