A Comparison of VSC-HVDC with Low Frequency AC for Offshore Wind Farm Design and Interconnection

In recent literature Low Frequency AC transmission has been suggested as a potential competitor to VSC-HVDC for offshore wind farms integration. This paper presents a techno-economic analysis and methodology for comparing both transmission methods in terms of power loss, reliability and capital investment costs. It is shown that LFAC when interfaced with an onshore cycloconverter can reduce loss, increase reliability and also decrease capital investment costs due in part to the absence of the offshore converter compared to VSC-HVDC. LFAC with a VSC replacing the cycloconverter is then included to determine its feasibility compared with the other transmission options presented.