The wind farm will comprise a number of key components that will all work together to generate, transmit and convert green energy to be fed into the National Grid. It requires state-of-the-art technology and innovative engineering and each component has to work seamlessly with the others, each playing a pivotal role in the success of the project.
Wind turbine generators
Sofia will use Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy's SG 14-222 DD - a 14 MW platform featuring 108 metre carbon and fibreglass blades cast in a single mould and a 222 metre-diameter rotor sweeping an area of 39,000 m2. Each turbine will stand at 252 metres - that's just 60 metres less than the UK's tallest building, The Shard - the nacelle is a lightweight of 500 tonnes. Being a brand new machine, the prototype is planned for 2021 and commercial deployment is set for 2024. More on the technical specifications can be found in this fact sheet.
High voltage direct current transmission system
A consortium of GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions and Sembcorp Marine will supply Sofia's high voltage direct current transmission system. The system will include two HVDC converter stations - one offshore and one onshore - with innovative converter modules and a new high-tech control system deployed. The offshore converter station will be the most powerful ever fabricated, and the farthest from shore.
The system will utilise GE Grid's second-generation voltage source convertor valve and feature the first application of its state-of-the-art eLumina™ HVDC Control System. eLumina is the industry’s first HVDC solution to use a digital measurement system fully based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850, an important international standard defining communication protocols for intelligent electronic devices at electrical substations.
The offshore converter platform will be the heart of the wind farm and will comprise a 10,000 tonne topside attached to a 7,000 tonne jacket foundation piled into the seabed. The onshore converter station will convert the electricity generated by the wind farm to 400 kV, before it enters the national grid.
