MEDOW’s objectives are to find comprehensive solutions to the key techniques of DC grids for integrating renewable power and to remove the barriers to the interconnection of AC and DC grids. 

Renewable power, particularly offshore wind power, will be a major element of European and other countries’ transition to meet their energy demands while reducing carbon emissions. HVDC will be the key technology for integrating offshore wind power into the onshore AC grids and for interconnecting AC grids across Europe with the aim of creating an offshore ‘supergrid’.

MEDOW researchers will study DC power flow, DC relaying protection, steady state operation, dynamic stability, fault-ride through capability, and impacts of DC grids on the operation of AC grids and power market. They will carry out systematic comparison of DC grid topologies and stability control strategies and will investigate DC grids for offshore wind power transmission and onshore AC grid interconnection.  Operation and control will be evaluated using various simulation platforms and experimental test rigs.

MEDOW’s entry on the European Commission’s Energy Research Knowledge Centre (ERKC) database can be accessed here.  The ERKC is offered by the Strategic Energy Technology Information System (SETIS), the body which leads the implementation of  the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan).

MEDOW has  12 key research objectives (O1-12) under 4 Work Packages (WP1-4):

WP1: Connection of offshore wind power to DC grids:
O1: Design and analyse the topologies of offshore DC grids
O2: Determine steady state operation characteristics
O3: Develop dynamic control systems for offshore DC grids

WP2: Investigation of voltage source converters for DC grids:
O4: Design and compare various voltage source converters
O5: Investigate power flow control in DC grid
O6: Develop tools for analysing and simulating converter stations

WP3: Relaying protection:
O7: Analyse DC grid faults
O8: Develop DC protection algorithms and post-fault restoration schemes
O9: Investigate AC protection with DC grids

WP4: Interactive AC/DC grids:
O10: Develop simulation and experimental platforms for the integrated DC/AC system
O11: Investigate impact between AC and DC grids
O12: Validate integrated DC/AC systems using simulation and experimental platforms