Transmission Planning for Offshore Wind

Offshore wind has been one of the fastest growing generation technologies in recent years. While Europe and China were frontrunners in offshore wind development, the technology is increasingly finding its way into power systems in North America and beyond, due to decreasing equipment costs, capacity factors exceeding these of other feasible renewable technologies and, in many cases, proximity to load centers. Its integration to power systems pose challenges to transmission system planners, including the design of the offshore system, the choice of the landing point, and the assurance of a reliable and adequate operation of the onshore system, given the often significant injections from offshore wind systems. The panel will demonstrate how such challenges are being addressed in the transmission planning process and highlight best practices and lessons learned by TSOs and planning agencies, industry experts and research centers from the USA, Latin America and Europe.