Wind farm integration with the objective of transmission expansion power in South Africa

Abstract

Growing renewable energy (RE) use mitigates climate change. The integration of large-scale intermittent renewable energy resources (RER) like wind energy into electrical networks has increased during the past decade. However, careful planning is needed to accommodate the long-term energy demand increase. Transmission network expansion planning (TNEP) is the methodical and profitable process of increasing power infrastructure to meet predicted electricity demand while preserving reliability. This article is for those interested in integrating renewable energy sources (RES) into HVTL to increase power availability and decrease losses. The Eros-VuyaniNeptune 400 kV transmission powerline connecting KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape is used in this study. It was implemented during the transfer of affected residents in the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality, which includes Lusikisiki and Flagstaff villages. This study connects the existing Metro wind farm to the Vuyani substation, which is connected to the Eros substation through a 400 kV transmission line. This research enhanced transmission line power while preserving grid stability with a 27 MW wind farm, and also increased external grid reserve capacity for future usage or unexpected power demand. This paper outlines TNEP’s significant advances using classic (mathematical) and advanced (heuristic and meta-heuristic) optimization approaches.