In this framework and under the name of IDeCON, an international consortium of recognised prestige, in which Tecnalia is participating, is conducting advanced research in the area of the design and control of offshore high voltage direct current (HVDC) grids. Besides creating international, multidisciplinary competence in the strategic area of offshore grids, IDeCON is providing hugely important knowledge to overcome the technical barriers currently hampering the practical deployment of HVDC grids in the North Sea needed to exploit the great potential of the wind resource.
The project has a dual aim: firstly, to create a methodology to design the topological structure of the electrical grid that will minimise the risk of harmful interactions between the various components of offshore electrical power grids. Secondly, a set of stability requirements of the grid are being analysed and generated; as an appendix to the grid codes, they will ensure that the system functions in the way intended as it is interconnected with technologies of various providers; this should minimise the possibilities of costly interruptions in the operating of the system.
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The project is being led by Prof Elisabetta Tedeschi of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). In addition to the NTNU's internal competence, highly qualified international partners such as Tecnalia (Spain), the University of Nottingham (U.K.), and DNV GL (Norway) are participating in the project. IDeCON has funding from the Norwegian Research Council and DNV GL.