Greentech Lead America: S&C Electric Company, a renewable energy integration company, was awarded a $2.6MM contract by Sweetwater Wind to upgrade a portion of their 585 MW wind farm in Sweetwater, Texas.
This upgrade will enable Sweetwater Wind to meet new renewable energy generation interconnection standards that have been enacted in Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
Last year, ERCOT revised its grid code by modifying the reactive power capability requirements. The new standards require Sweetwater Wind to provide a lagging power factor capability of 0.95 or less and a leading power factor capability of 0.95 or less at the point of interconnection (POI). Â Sweetwater Wind turned to S&C for a solution to meet the new standards.
“S&C worked with Sweetwater Wind to evaluate the current system and develop the best long-term solution that can quickly meet the new requirements, which is critical to avoiding production curtailments,” says Dan Girard, director —Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Business Development, S&C. “This upgrade will help Sweetwater Wind maximize its wind project production while ensuring the grid is protected.”
S&C is engineering and constructing a complete system using mechanically switched capacitors in three substations at the site. S&C is also designing and installing the control system in the plant’s east substation to manage the capacitor banks and switches. The project is expected to be completed by June 2013.
“As the U.S. builds upon the existing 50 GW of wind energy already connected to the grid, renewable interconnection requirements will continue to evolve,” says Girard. “Renewable energy plant owners will need expert solutions that allow them to meet these changing standards while maximizing project production and return on investment.”
Recently S&C Electric Company was also awarded a $7.9 million USD contract by Green States Energy to construct a 2.5 MW solar photovoltaic farm near Roswell, New Mexico.