And by now the Kingdom of the Netherlands is well on the way towards quitting fossil fuel based energy, and moving towards natural sources of power. In this context, a significant priority for completing the planned energy transition is exemplified by the large-scale expansion of wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands.^*3 And this also includes the modern Borssele wind farms 1 thru 4, located approximately 23 km off the coast of Zeeland, more or less level – on the map – with the port of Vlissingen.

The systems for automation of substations, for their safety and for their management are the particularly critical consumers of any high-voltage substation. Without these key elements, it would be impossible to assure the operation of the high-voltage switching circuitry. In conjunction with the need for these systems to receive the optimum protection from power failures and grid disruptions, Volker Energy Solutions opted for BENNING’s high-availability, modular standby power supplies.

It goes without saying that the specialists will have insisted on having redundancy built into the backup systems, since – as already discussed, above – any failure in critical applications could result in serious consequences. And the advantages of BENNING’s modular system technology were already familiar (from the project phase) to Volker Energy Solutions.

These advantages include, for example:

• Maximum availability and reliability
• Impressive MTTR (hot-swap)
• Straightforward and cost-effective to service
• Minimised operating costs

Further plus points were available, since it was possible to reduce the floorspace requirement, thanks to the modest footprint of BENNING’s modular systems. In future, too, it will be a convenient, straightforward procedure to complete updates or expansions, when it comes to the need to scale up the output. This adds up to a sustained, reliable investment roadmap for the operators of the high-voltage substation.

The standby power supplies which BENNING adapts to clients’ specific, individual needs are tailored for 2n redundancy.
In essence, they consist of two ENERTRONIC modular SE UPS systems each with 60 kW output and two rectifier systems (220 VDC / 200 A). These are based on three TEBECHOP 13500 modules.
In the event of a power failure, the UPS systems will uphold the operation of the safety systems whilst the rectifier systems will cover the supply of power to the high-voltage switching plant. In conjunction with the lead cell banks which are connected and locked into the function circuit, a four-hour covering period is guaranteed.

Borssele windfarms 1 and 2 have been reliably supplying power to the Netherlands energy grid – via the landside station at Borssele – since the beginning of April 2020.
A total output of 752 MW is being produced by a total of 94 wind turbines. This amount of energy is enough to supply 1 million households with electrical power.^*6
A further 77 wind turbines are planned for Borssele farms 3 and 4.

In the future, a portion of the generated power will be used in electrolyser systems to produce green hydrogen.^*7 This constitutes a readily storable secondary energy source alongside electrical power.^*8

In the final analysis, it’s the the teamwork between BENNING’s power supplies and UPS systems in conjunction with the high-voltage substation constructed by Volker Energy Solutions (and operated by TenneT) that ensures that the landside grid infrastructure can securely depend on receiving uninterrupted feed of the sustainable electrical power produced at sea. This is how the participating companies are making such a crucial contribution to the energy transition, supporting the Netherlands in the country’s policy of achieving a fully climate-neutral economy.