S&C Electric Co. has been awarded a $2.6 million contract by Sweetwater Wind to upgrade a portion of the 585 MW wind farm in Sweetwater, Texas.
S&C says this upgrade will enable Sweetwater Wind to meet new renewable energy generation interconnection standards that have been enacted by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas; the new standards require Sweetwater Wind to provide a lagging power factor capability of 0.95 or less and a leading power factor capability of 0.95 or less at the point of interconnection.
S&C is engineering and constructing a complete system using mechanically switched capacitors in three substations at the site. S&C is also designing and installing the control system in the plant's east substation to manage the capacitor banks and switches. The project is expected to be completed by June.
‘S&C worked with Sweetwater Wind to evaluate the current system and develop the best long-term solution that can quickly meet the new requirements, which is critical to avoiding production curtailments,’ says S&C's Dan Girard. ‘This upgrade will help Sweetwater Wind maximize its wind project production while ensuring the grid is protected.’
