Each Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) in a Wind Power Plant (WPP) is a small generating station provided with a local grounding system for protection against lighting and for safety. These distributed grounding stations are interconnected through the collection system to the WPP substation ground grid to form a large grounding network.
The design of such a large grounding network for safety of equipment operation and personnel is challenging as safety is not only dependent on local WTG grounding conditions but also on the overall interaction between distributed power stations ground grid through the soil and the cabling system.
This tutorial will provide an overview of the design for an effective WPP grounding system with the focus on personnel safety. A procedure for the design of a WPP grounding system for personal safety will be discussed with a practical example provided.