Tres Amigas Superstation Gains Momentum at Chattanooga Smart Grid Road Show

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This is the mission of Tres Amigas, who has contracted Alstom Grid to provide its latest HVDC technology to power its Superstation. Together, Radnya Mukhedkar of Alstom Grid and David Stidham of Tres Amigas, delivered a presentation titled “Optimal Utilization of Available Energy Resources – HVDC Transmission Conduit “Tres Amigas” to an audience at latest Smart Grid Road Show held in Chattanooga, TN, on May 4th.

By connecting the three asynchronous U.S. power grids through a DC hub that can regulate the direction and level of power flows between the grids, the Tres Amigas Superstaion will be able to move power from a wide variety of sources to a significant number of markets. By increasing available market outlets, Tres Amigas will allow renewable generators to maximize the value of their assets, which in turn will spur further deployment, resulting in economies of scale, technological advances and growth of the nation’s renewable resources.

During their presentation Mukhedkar and Stidham outlined the basics of the Tres Amigas project. They explained how the HVDC network will interconnect three asynchronous AC systems in the U.S. covering the western states, eastern states and the state of Texas. The Superstaion will be located near the border of New Mexico and Texas (see image). The HVDC network will provide an avenue to exploit the power resources and differing load profiles in the three networks in order to maximize the utilization of available energy resources.

According to Mukhedkar and Stidham, Tres Amigas will incorporate the latest voltage sourced converter (VSC) technology, digital control and protection system along with latest energy management system and superconducting transmission medium. The project will provide an avenue to exploit the vast resources of renewable energy such as wind power and solar energy. Up to 100MW of battery storage system is anticipated to be installed local to the converter station. Part of this storage resource will support the HVDC station auxiliary supply requirements.

The project is expected to be developed in phases, consisting of several blocks of VSC converters to provide the capability to evacuate up to 5GVA. The development will allow for further expansion of the DC network. The present AC network at the converter station will be required to be strengthened to evacuate power of such magnitude. Once an appropriate AC system infrastructure is incorporated, future expansion of the DC network can be carried out using line commutated converters (LCC). The flexibility of the VSC DC links alongside the bulk power transfer capability of LCC DC links can maximise the utilisation of the HVDC station.

The Smart Grid Road Show’s slogan of “bringing the Smart Grid Marketplace to your door!” is unique in its mission to deliver interactive events in geographically significant venues across North America. The event in Chattanooga kicked off with a key note address by host utility EPB’s President and CEO, Harold DePriest, who detailed the importance of an intelligent, integrated and self-healing Smart Grid. DePriest focused on the self-healing aspect while showing photos depicting the recent damage created by the most devastating storm in its 75-year history that occurred last week. In 2009, EPB beat out 600 national utilities for the DOE’s $111.5 million federal stimulus grant to expedite the build out of EPB’s smart grid electric system.

Radnya Mukhedkar joined Alstom Grid in Stafford, UK, in 2001. She gained her PhD in the area of application of Power Electronics to Power Systems from the University of West of England, Bristol, UK in 2002. She has also gained an MBA from University of Warwick, UK in 2009. She is presently a Group Leader in charge of HVDC System Design at the Center of Excellence in Stafford. Her experience covers both conceptual and detailed analytical studies relating to the design of HVDC systems and equipment. Dr. Mukhedkar is a Member of the IET, and IEC.

David Stidham, Sr. VP & COO, Tres Amigas – Mr. Stidham is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. He earned BSEE and MBA degrees from Texas Tech. He is a Senior Member and past Section Chairman of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), a member of the Texas Society of Professional engineers as well as the National Society of Professional Engineers. Mr. Stidham retired from Xcel Energy after 29 years of service. At the time of his retirement, Mr. Stidham was the Director of Transmission Engineering and Right of Way at SPS/Xcel Energy where he was responsible for transmission line design and land permits for Xcel’s 14 state service territory. For the past eight years, Mr. Stidham has been involved in the design and construction of large-scale wind energy farms and other renewable energy projects in various states throughout the United States.

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