HVDC vs HVAC Power Transmission
1. Need for High Voltage Power Transmission Systems
Installation of high power renewable energy sources like offshore wind farms are growing continuously due to the continuous increase in power demand. The generated offshore wind power cannot be supplied directly to the customers; instead, it can be integrated with the grid due to non-controllable variability, unpredictable generation, and installed locations (the offshore wind source is located in the sea area that is far away from the AC grids or load Centre).
To transfer the high power from one region to another because one region may not have enough power generation sources and might have lots of power demand. In such a case, the power can be transmitted from the power generation region to the power demand region.
2. Possible Options to Transmit High Power for Long-distance
High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) transmission system uses alternating current for electric power transmission. Fig. 1 connects the large-scale offshore wind farm with the AC grid via an HVAC link.
High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system uses direct current for electric power transmission. The HVDC configuration has power electronic converters at both ends like the sending end (called as Rectifier) and receiving end (called as Inverter). Fig. 2 connects the large-scale offshore wind farms with the AC grid via the HVDC link.