S&C Connects Wind Energy to Orkney Islands Grid

LONDON, July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

S&C Electric Company, a global leader in smart grids and renewable energy integration, today announces that it was awarded a contract to provide its single-inverter PureWave DSTATCOM® Distributed Static Compensator for a small wind energy project in the Orkney Islands.  The Thorkell project, under development by Orkney Sustainable Energy, will bring an additional 900 kW of wind power online, expanding the base of renewable energy already installed in the islands.

S&C's PureWave DSTATCOM will allow the new wind energy system to meet voltage control requirements. All renewable energy sources-including small systems such as the single-turbine Thorkell project-are required to comply with local requirements to ensure optimal stability and reliability of the grid.  S&C's single-inverter model provides an economical solution to bring field-proven, precise PureWave DSTATCOM technology to small renewable energy projects under 3.5 MW.

"Renewable energy sources of all sizes must meet statutory requirements, even the smallest systems," says Andrew Jones, managing director, S&C Europe.  "S&C's PureWave DSTATCOM makes it affordable for small renewable energy systems to comply with grid codes so important community based projects can be brought online."  

S&C offers significant experience in helping renewable energy projects comply with grid interconnection requirements worldwide. In the UK and Ireland alone, S&C PureWave DSTATCOM systems are currently planned to connect 255 MW of wind energy to the grid. This VAR compensation project is S&C's second in the Orkney Islands.

About S&C Electric Company

S&C, with global headquarters in Chicago, USA, is applying its heritage of innovation to address challenges facing the world's power grids and is thus shaping the future of reliable electricity delivery. The mission of employee-owned S&C is to continually develop new solutions for electricity delivery, fostering the improved efficiency and reliability required for the intelligent grid. Additional information about S&C is available at http://www.sandc.com.

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