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Abstract— Energy consumption in the world is increasing, over long distances. The traditional way of transmission of
as well as the demand for efficient and quality electric power over long distances with HVAC has several issues.
power supply that ensures a greener environment.
Thus, the objective of this work is to investigate HVDC
Consequently, the deployment of renewable energy sources technology, the economic, environmental and technical
has become imperative. The use of renewable resources consequences of using HVDC technology in the existing AC
like hydropower, solar and wind cannot be possible power system network and for new installations.
without electric transmission lines. High Voltage
Alternating Current (HVAC), though an established
II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF HIGH
technology of more than 100 years has its pros and cons.
VOLTAGE DIRECT CURRENT (HVDC) SYSTEMS
This paper presents an investigation into the use of HVDC
technology as an alternative option for power It has been widely documented in the history of the electricity
transmission, the benefits, economic and reliability issues industry, that the first commercial electricity generated by
and most importantly, the environmental impact. In view Thomas Alva Edison was DC power. The first transmission
of the crucial role played by a reliable Electric Power systems for electrical power were also DC systems. The
Transmission Grid in the economic development of problem was that low voltage DC power could not be
nations, the integration of HVDC technology is transmitted over long distances, the DC machines were not
recommended for developing countries, for neighboring efficient, there were no semiconductor valves and therefore
countries who want to share spinning reserves and for the success for AC systems was inevitable. This gave rise to
developed countries who can tap the enormous solar and High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) electrical systems
wind energies from remote deserts/offshore islands. which in the very words of Edison “is as unnecessary as it is
dangerous, and has no element of permanency and every
element of danger to life and property” [1].
Keywords- HVDC; Power Transmission; HVAC; Power
Nevertheless, with the development of high voltage valves, it
Grid; and Renewable Energy.
was possible to transmit DC power once again at high voltages
and over long distances, giving rise to HVDC transmission
I. INTRODUCTION systems.
When the choice was made between Alternating Current (AC) The first HVDC valve was Hewitt’s mercury-vapor valve,
and Direct Current (DC) technology about one hundred years presented in 1901, but the first commercial HVDC
ago, the reasons for choosing AC were convincing. There transmission was not until about 1954, when the 20MW ±
were two main arguments that made AC the best alternative: 100kV link between the Swedish mainland and the island of
the simplicity and efficiency of AC machines compared to DC Gothland was commissioned. This facility was mercury-arc
machines, and the possibility of using transformers to make based and it brought HVDC technology as an alternate
long distance AC transmission simpler and more flexible. transmission facility to limelight [2].
Since then a lot has happened in the development of HVDC Thereafter, with the emergence of semiconductor device
technology including its load and generation characteristics. revolution, the first large HVDC transmission system designed
Converter valve technology has developed from mercury-arc with thyristor technology was built in Canada in 1972. This
valves via thyristors to high frequency switched IGBTs was a back-to-back asynchronous interconnection with a
(Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors). Researchers and rating of 320MW at ± 80kV. This followed the testing of the
manufacturers have also improved HVDC cable technology thyristor technology on a smaller scale, for the upgrade of the
with minimal losses compared to equivalent HVAC. Today, Gothland link in 1967 [2].
with the increasing need for electricity and cleaner
environment, it has become imperative for countries of the In 1976, an HVDC transmission project, the Skagerrak link
world to shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources (500MW), between Norway and Denmark was commissioned
(hydro, wind and solar), which require transmission of power [3]. Since then, a large number of thyristor based HVDC
978-1-4673-0759-8/11/$26.00©2011 IEEE
122 3rd IEEE International Conference on Adaptive Science and Technology (ICAST 2011)
converters have been installed all over the world. The first ongoing, the list of confirmed application areas for HVDC is
multi-terminal HVDC transmission, Quebec - New England itemized in the next section.
(2000MW ± 500kV) was commissioned in 1992 [3].
B. HVDC Applications
The numerous advances in thyristor and microprocessor Presently, the major players in HVDC technology can do
technologies have greatly improved HVDC installations and installations with losses of about 2 percent per 1000
applications. Consequently, by the late 1990’s, a new high kilometers and an additional 1.5 percent at the transmitting
switching frequency component, Insulated Gate Bipolar and receiving ends. Research and development is continuing
Transistors (IGBT), which uses pulse width modulation for for improved application areas. At the time of writing,
Voltage Source Controlled (VSC) Converter stations had confirmed HVDC applications include:
become matured. This new concept makes it possible to
control active and reactive power flow separately. So far, this • Power transmission of bulk energy through sea
VSC technology has only been used for small or medium cable.
power applications of the order of 600MW [4]. However • Power transmission of bulk energy through
research is still on going to increase its capability. long distance overhead line.
• Linking of systems with different frequencies
A. HVDC Installations Around The World using back-to-back interconnection.
Since the first commercial installation in 1954, a • Using HVDC transmission system to link
huge amount of HVDC transmission systems have been renewable energy resources, such as wind
installed around the world. A pictorial view of major power, when it is located far away from the
HVDC links in the world is shown in [5]. The rationale consumer.
for choosing HVDC for some of the projects are listed as
follows: The other application areas where HVDC nicely complements
• In Itaipu, Brazil, HVDC was chosen to supply the AC transmission system include:
50Hz power into a 60Hz system, and to Reduction of fault currents, bypass of network congestion,
economically transmit large amount of Hydro- sharing utility rights-of-way without degradation of reliability
power (6300MW) over large distances (800km). and mitigation of environmental concerns [6].
• In Leyton - Luzon project in Philippines, HVDC
was chosen to enable supply of bulk geothermal
power across an island interconnection, and to III. HVDC TECHNOLOGY
improve stability to the Manilla AC network. HVDC has been in the market for 50 years. In an HVDC
• In Rihand-Delhi project in India, HVDC was transmission system, electric power is taken from a three-
chosen to transmit bulk (thermal) power- phase AC network, converted to DC in a converter station,
1500MW to Delhi, to ensure minimum losses, transmitted to the receiving point by a cable or overhead line
least amount right-of-way and better stability and and then converted back to AC in another converter station
control. and injected into the receiving AC network. Fig 3.1 shows a
• In Garabi, an independent transmission project simplified schema of an HVDC system with the basic
(ITP) transferring power from Argentina to principles of transferring electric energy from one AC system
Brazil, HVDC back-to-back system was chosen or node, to another in any direction. It consists of three blocks:
to ensure supply of 50Hz bulk (1000MW) power the two converter stations and the DC line. Within each station
to a 60Hz system under a 20 - year supply block, there are several components involved in the
contract. conversion of AC to DC and vice versa.
• In Gothland, Sweden, HVDC was chosen to
connect a newly developed wind-power site to
the main city of Visby, in consideration of the
environmental sensitivity of the project area (an
archaeological and tourist area) and improve
power quality.
• In Queensland, Australia, HVDC was chosen to
interconnect two independent grids (New South
Wales and Queensland) to enable electricity
trading between the two systems (including A. Components of A Converter Station
change of power direction flow), to ensure very Every converter station has AC and DC sections. The
low environmental impact and reduce HVAC lines come into AC switchyard of the converter station.
construction time [6]. The major components in the AC switchyard include: AC
All these successful projects have become major application filters, circuit breakers, disconnectors, busbars and shunt
areas for HVDC. The prospects are high and more research is capacitor banks. The AC feeds into the Converter transformers
123 3rd IEEE International Conference on Adaptive Science and Technology (ICAST 2011)
and the output from the transformer is converted to DC by for clearing transformer faults. Converter control is used for
thyristors or IGBTs. A schematic diagram of an HVDC is clearing DC side faults.
shown in Fig 3.2 and a three dimensional illustration is shown
in Fig 3.3[4]. Converter Transformer
The converter transformer is the second block in the Fig 3.3,
and it serves as a galvanic isolator between the AC and the DC
side. It transforms the voltage to an appropriate and optimum
level for the converter valves. Usually, they are of the single-
phase, three-winding type, but depending on the transportation
requirements and rated power, they can be arranged in other
ways.
Thyristor Valves
These are the most important components of the converter
station, since they make the conversion from AC to DC and
vice versa. The thyristor valves can be built up in different
ways, depending on its application and the manufacturer.
Smoothing Reactors
These are large inductances connected in series with each
pole. Its main functions are to limit the DC fault current and
reduce harmonic current caused by interruption from overhead
lines.
AC Switchyard
DC Filters
Converter transformers HVDC converters create harmonics in all operational modes.
Such harmonics can create disturbances in telecommunication
AC lines
Valve Hall
systems. Hence DC filters are used to reduce disturbances.
Auxiliary Systems
These include the transformer cooling systems, control and
DC Lines communication systems, and the internal station power supply
Shunt capacitors
with the battery backup. The valve cooling system is especially
critical, since an outage may result in serious damage of the
Harmonic filters valves.
DC Switchyard
B. Converter Technologies
The fundamental process that occurs in a HVDC system is
Fig 3.3: Three dimensional illustration of a Converter Station the conversion of electrical current from AC to DC (rectifier) at
[4]. the transmitting end, and from DC to AC (inverter) at the
receiving end. The two basic converter technologies used in
modern HVDC transmission systems are Line-commutated
The function of Converter station components are briefly Current Source Converters (CSC) and Self-commutated
described as follows. Voltage Source Converters (VSC) [4].
AC Filters The line-commutated CSC requires a synchronous voltage
They are used to absorb harmonic currents generated by the source in order to operate. The line CSCs can only operate with
HVDC converter, thus reducing the impact of the harmonics the AC current lagging the voltage, thus requiring lagging
on the connected AC system. They equally supply reactive power for the conversion process. The VSC-based systems are
power to the converter station. self-commutating with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
(IGBT) valves and solid dielectric extruded HVDC cables. The
Capacitor Banks control capability of the VSC gives it total flexibility to be
These are used to provide reactive power to the valves in the placed anywhere in the AC network since it has no restriction
converters. They consist of a series of capacitors connected in on minimum short-circuit capacity.
parallel to the transformer.
Circuit Breakers
The circuit breakers on the AC side of the converter
transformer are used to take the HVDC link out of service and
124 3rd IEEE International Conference on Adaptive Science and Technology (ICAST 2011)
a) Visual Impact: HVDC overhead lines require less space per per 1,000 km [5]. This HVDC technology is now mature,
MW than the traditional AC solution and thereby reducing the having been in the market for about 50 years. With the ever
visual impact of the towers. increasing demand for energy and cleaner environment,
HVDC technology has become imperative because of its
b) Right-of-Way (ROW) Width: The ROW width of a DC line numerous advantages. Another driver for HVDC is the
compared to an AC line is considerably reduced. This advances in high power semiconductor devices that can further
facilitates suitable routes in densely populated areas and in improve thyristors and IGBTs so that they not only carry out
regions with difficult terrain. the AC/DC conversion but perform more automated functions
to make the power grid smarter.
c) Magnetic Field: The magnetic field produced by a DC line
is stationary while that of AC is alternating, which can cause From the study of successful HVDC projects all over the
induction of body currents. world and in view of the crucial role a reliable Electric Power
Transmission Grid plays in the economic development and
d) Electric Field: Electric field is produced by the potential improvement of the living standard of people, integration of
difference between the overhead conductor and the earth. HVDC technology is recommended for developing countries
Directly under the conductor., the electric field is strongest for improvement their power grids. HVDC will also be useful
and is approximately 20kV/m for a ±450kV transmission line. for neighboring countries who want to share spinning reserves
DC has less electric field problem than that of AC because of and for developed countries who can tap the enormous solar
the lack of steady-state displacement current. and wind energies in remote deserts/offshore islands and
transfer it to consumers via HVDC lines.
e) Radio and Telephone Interference: The radio-interference
level of an HVDC overhead line is lower than that of HVAC It is also recommended that Power Grid System Planners
overhead lines. For the HVDC, it is 40dB (MV/m); while for should consider HVDC when planning for upgrade of ageing
the HVAC 380 KV overhead transmission line, the value is transmission systems and that countries that own several
50dB (MV/m). thousands of kilometers of HVAC transmission lines should
consider splitting into regional grids with HVDC technology
VI. DISCUSSION to avoid propagation of faults.
In order to compare the cost of using either HVDC or HVAC
for bulk power transmission, all main system elements must REFERENCES
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