Methodologies for offshore wind power plant dynamic stability analysis

The development of larger Offshore wind power plants (OWPPs) is growing exponentially and also evolving in larger multi-vendor setups, ultimately aiming to constitute offshore Energy hubs. At the same time, interactions among wind turbine converters and power systems have been observed, and this critical phenomenon can significantly impact the dynamic stability of the system. While various stability analysis methods have been proposed to analyze the interactions between OWPPs and the power system at the Point-of-connection (PoC), these stability studies rarely consider the complex offshore transmission system behind the PoC. Typically, the overall OWPP is blamed for the instability issues. However, since the plant itself is a complex system, it is important to understand which part of the OWPP behind the PoC is causing the problem or is likely to become unstable under certain conditions. Therefore, this paper provides a detailed overview of the current system screening indexes and dynamic stability analysis methodologies used in OWPP design. It critically evaluates the advantages and limitations of each approach, emphasizing their applicability to various OWPP structures. The analysis indicates that a combination of time domain and frequency domain methods is necessary to better define stability boundaries and enhance accurate dynamic stability analysis of OWPPs. • Frequency and time domain methods are both needed to analyze OWPP stability accurately. • OWPP stability analysis must capture converter dynamics and component interactions. • Traditional metrics for system strength are not valid for inverter-based systems. • Standard practices for analyzing inverter-based systems stability are needed.