Wind and Solar Integration Workshops To Take Place In Vienna

At the 15th Wind Integration and the 6th Solar Integration Workshop in Vienna, Austria on 14th to 17th November 2016, experts on power systems and renewable energy will come together.

Two highlights of the conference season will take place in Vienna from 14-17 November 2016. About 400 participants from power system operators, transmission and distribution grid operators, wind turbine and solar inverter manufacturer, universities and research institutes, and consulting companies will convene for the 15th Wind Integration and the 6th Solar Integration Workshop. The experts on renewable grid integration solutions will review and discuss recent advances in technology and exchange ideas on how to jointly tackle the challenges of the coming years.

The primary objective is to stimulate interdisciplinary thinking between industry and research by providing a platform for discussion and for sharing ideas and knowledge regarding the key issues in the field of large-scale integration of wind and solar power. “These workshops have always been and will always be about advances in the field of grid integration of renewable energy technologies. Not about the marketing of individual interests”, emphasises Dr. Thomas Ackermann, organiser of the events, the importance of the workshops’ scientific focus. The importance of grid integration of variable renewables is constantly increasing world-wide. Considering the speed of renewable installations in many countries, power system operators have less and less time to thoroughly analyse and investigate the grid integration issues. In consequence, sharing international experience from renewable grid integration is becoming more and more important.

The Workshops in 2016

The 15th Wind Integration and the 6th Solar Integration Workshop offer the perfect opportunity to do just that!

With a total of 17 solar and 26 wind sessions the spectrum of topics ranges from grid integration studies and experiences to grid codes, modelling, and questions of forecasting. The Wind Integration Workshop covers all aspects relevant to large-scale integration of wind power into power systems. It will additionally focus on ancillary services and on connection of offshore wind power plants with HVDC. One special focus of the Solar Integration Workshop will be storage integration. Moreover, the experts will discuss economic questions regarding grid integration and electricity markets regulation as well as smart grid concepts.

Participants not only value the diverse range of topics, but also the highly qualified speakers from renowned organisations like ENTSO-E, NREL, EPRI, IRENA, IEA, and many more. Furthermore, organisers pay tribute to the workshop’s location Vienna: the Austrian grid integration market will be highlighted in sessions organised in cooperation with Austrian Power Grid (APG) and the Austrian energy regulatory authority E-Control.

The 6th Solar Integration Workshop with a duration of 1.5 days is followed by the 15th Wind Integration Workshop, with a duration of 2.5 days. Beside the regular sessions the workshop week is filled with a list of accompanying events such as tutorials, poster sessions, dinners and a study trip – great opportunities for networking!

Tutorial on PV systems in Smart Grids

In the tutorials, participants have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge regarding crucial renewables topics in an intimate setting. In intense presentations by specially invited experts they gain not only detailed knowledge but also a unique hands-on -experience.

This year’s solar tutorial takes place on Sunday, 13 November 2016 at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Vienna, Austria. It will be conducted in cooperation with AIT’s Smart Electricity Systems and Technologies Laboratory (SmartEST), and the Department of Energy Technology at Aalborg University, Denmark.

The PV tutorial offers a review of operation and smart grid integration of modern PV power plants. In one of the expert presentations participants are given an overview of the most important PV technologies, currently in use. Tutorial speakers will present the integration of PV into the modern power systems including provision and coordination of ancillary services by PV plants on LV and MV networks. In a hands-on session, several live test cases will be performed on a large photovoltaic inverter.

Tutorial on Ancillary Services from Wind Power Plants

This year’s wind tutorial will take place on Monday, 14 November 2016. High share of renewables in the power system can only be achieved if wind power plants also offer ancillary services, e.g. voltage control, balancing services and frequency control. Within this tutorial the experts on renewable energy present and discuss technical solutions and practical experiences.

Study Trip

With a visit to the Austrian Power Grid (APG) control center, the study trip presents the perfect opportunity for deeper insights and on location impressions. This year’s study trip takes place on Friday, 18 November 2016 and also includes stops at a biogas plant and a wind park in the Energy Park Bruck an der Leitha.

History of the Workshops

The workshops are looking back on a successful 16 year-long history. In spring 2000, the first International Workshop on Feasibility of HVDC Transmission Networks for Offshore Wind Farms was organised by then Ph.D. student Thomas Ackermann at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. After three consecutive years in Sweden, the workshop organisation was moved to Energynautics in Germany and it has since taken place in a different city each year. 16 years after its first edition, the Wind Integration Workshop has developed into one of the premier conferences in its field, and has been accompanied by the Solar Integration Workshop since 2011. Having started with only 52 participants from 7 countries, the Wind Integration Workshops nowadays attracts between 250 and 300 participants each year from around 30 countries and the Solar Integration Workshop between 150 and 180 participants from 25 countries.

Further Information on both workshops can be found here:

http://www.solarintegrationworkshop.org

http://www.windintegrationworkshop.org