Power & Energy Solutions
Synchronization of new energy grid connection with microgrid
Enable renewable energy to connect to the grid and microgrids to operate using a shared, precise, and reliable unified time base
Ensure that wind turbines, inverters, energy storage PCS units, step-up substations, and the central control center all share the same time reference. A time infrastructure designed for wind power, solar power, energy storage, and multi-energy complementary projects.
Why Do New Energy Stations Need Unified Time Synchronization?
Wind turbines are spread across dozens of square kilometers, energy storage converters respond in milliseconds, and there are tens of thousands of photovoltaic inverters.
Time synchronization for new energy facilities involves more than just synchronizing the equipment at the step-up substations—it entails establishing a unified time network that spans “on-site equipment—step-up substations—dispatch/centralized control centers—security auditing.”
1. The wind turbine/inverter and the waveform recorder are not synchronized.
Performance:There is a difference of several hundred milliseconds between the start of the voltage dip recorded by the substation waveform recorder and the low-voltage trip activation time recorded by the wind turbine's main controller.
Solution:The wind turbine obtains synchronized time via the station's NTP, while the waveform recorder obtains it via IRIG-B, ensuring that events are strictly aligned.
2. Points deducted for AGC/AVC scheduling performance evaluation
Performance:The calculation of the time between when a dispatch instruction is issued and when a station responds was confused with a time deviation, leading to a misinterpretation as a “response delay.”
Solution:Telemetry and AGC/AVC share the same time source, ensuring the reliability of the timestamps in the data sent upstream and preventing unjustified point deductions.
3. The charging and discharging sequences of the energy storage system do not match
Performance:The times recorded by the PCS, BMS, EMS, and dispatch master station do not match, making it impossible to determine the frequency modulation response time.
Solution:With all energy storage subsystems operating in unison, there is a solid basis for charging and discharging settlements and primary frequency regulation assessments.
Typical Systems and Time-Synchronization Targets at New Energy Stations
Substation Control Side
Generator Unit Side
Remote Central Control Side
Core Business Value of New Energy
Unified time synchronization provides a reliable data foundation for the core business scenarios of new energy stations.
Wind Power Zone
Energy Storage Area
Central Time Coordination Center for Boosting Stations
Photovoltaic Zone
Substation Control Side
Remote Verification at the Central Control Center
Remote Verification at the Central Control Center
Unattended sites must remotely report primary/standby status, time deviation, site-level NTP status, and critical service time stamps; acceptance testing should not rely on on-site manual inspections.
Recommended Overall Architecture
Time Source Layer → Master Clock Layer → Distribution Layer → Business System Layer, covering substations and vast field areas
End-to-End Monitoring and Alerting Chain
SNMP/SYSLOG Upload to Centralized Control System:
- GNSS Antenna Status
- Number of Satellites Locked On
- Current Time Source
- Switching Between Primary and Backup Roles
- On-Time Status/Out of Tolerance
- Site-Level NTP Status
Overview of Time Synchronization Interfaces and Methods
Common Time Synchronization Interfaces Used in New Energy Stations and Their Applicable Scenarios
Wind Power Zone
Wind turbines are widely distributed; NTP is primarily distributed via the site’s fiber-optic ring network, with secondary NTP servers deployed at aggregation nodes in large wind farms.
Photovoltaic Zone
With a large number of inverters, a LAN-based NTP system is used to provide a unified time reference, ensuring that power forecasts and actual output are time-synchronized.
Energy Storage Area
PCS, BMS, and EMS are sensitive to charging and discharging responses; NTP or IRIG-B is used to ensure that dispatch commands and response timestamps are synchronized.
Step-Up Substation
IRIG-B is used for protection, waveform recording, PMU, and SOE, while NTP is used for the station control system, ensuring that grid-related incidents can be reviewed.
Central Control Center
NTP is uniformly used for data aggregation, status monitoring, and security auditing across multiple stations to ensure time consistency in cross-station reports.
Time-of-Day Design by Scenario
Differentiated Timing Strategies for Wind Power, Solar Power, Energy Storage, and Multi-Energy Complementary Scenarios
Core Value in New Energy Station Scenarios
Fault-tracing analysis is more reliable
The low-penetration response of the wind turbine/inverter is strictly synchronized with the waveforms recorded at the step-up substation; the penetration and recovery parameters can be precisely calculated, and the grid-connection tests stand up to scrutiny.
More Reliable Power Forecast Evaluation
The prediction system, weather stations, and actual power output records are precisely aligned in time, providing a solid foundation for evaluating errors at 15-minute intervals.
Unified Handling of Incidents at Field Sites and Substations
The time bases for protection of prefabricated substations, feeder lines, and main transformers are standardized, making it easy to visualize fault location within the site and analyze cross-level tripping.
Precise Tracking of Energy Storage Charging and Discharging
With the PCS, BMS, and EMS operating in unison, the frequency response and the settlement of charge and discharge energy are supported by indisputable time-stamped records.
AGC/AVC Scheduling and Performance Evaluation Made Easy
Dispatch instructions are issued from the same source as station response records, and the calculation of the adjustment rate no longer includes time discrepancies, thereby preventing unfair point deductions.
Centralized Control and Security Auditing Available
Cross-site data comparisons are based on a unified benchmark, and the log audit timeline across security zones is clear, meeting the compliance requirements of the Grade 2.0 Cybersecurity Protection Standard.
Key Parameters at a Glance
Time Synchronization Targets
Protocol Suite
Delivery Highlights
Implementation and Delivery Process
We deliver not only equipment, but also a complete time infrastructure covering “field sites—substations—centralized control centers.”
Step-Up Substation Confirmation
Verify the primary and backup clocks, antenna environment, substation protection, and station control system interfaces.
Grid Connection for Wind Farms
Connect the wind turbine main controllers via ring networks and aggregation nodes to verify the consistency of low-penetration event times.
Grid Connection for the Photovoltaic Area
Connect to the NTP by array and inverter batch, and verify the power forecast evaluation data.
Connection of Energy Storage Areas
Verify the response timelines of the PCS, BMS, and EMS to charging and discharging commands.
Centralized Control Remote Verification
Submit records of status, deviations, alarms, and active/standby switching to the Central Control Center for acceptance.
Primary-Standby Redundancy, BeiDou Priority, and Local Time Keeping
New energy stations operate in harsh environments (salt fog, wind and sand, lightning strikes) and are mostly unmanned; therefore, the time system must eliminate the risk of single-point failures.
1+1 Primary-Standby Redundancy:The primary clock A and backup clock B form a dual-power-supply, dual-antenna redundant architecture with fiber-optic cross-checking, enabling automatic and seamless failover in the event of a failure.
Beidou-Priority Multi-Mode:By integrating BeiDou signals and supporting simultaneous reception from multiple constellations, it enhances lock stability in complex weather conditions and environments with interference.
Local Time Accuracy Guarantee:When satellite signals are completely lost, the built-in rubidium clock or OCXO seamlessly switches to time-keeping mode. This ensures the temporal continuity of signal recording, AGC, power prediction, and energy storage response during this period, while awaiting intervention by operations and maintenance personnel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wind turbines in wind farms are spread over a wide area (tens of square kilometers). How can the issue of remote time synchronization be resolved?
Deploy a redundant master clock at the step-up substation to serve as the time reference for the entire wind farm; wind turbines obtain time locally from the NTP server at the step-up substation via the wind farm’s fiber-optic ring network or industrial Ethernet. If the wind farm’s network conditions are complex, secondary NTP relay servers may be deployed at the wind turbine aggregation line nodes. For the very few wind turbines not covered by the network, consider configuring on-site GPS/Beidou receiver modules as a backup. When designing the solution, prioritize the use of the wind farm’s existing communication network.
Why does power forecasting for photovoltaic power plants require precise time synchronization?
A power forecasting system needs to time-align and compare meteorological forecast data, actual irradiance measurements, and actual power generation data in order to evaluate the accuracy of the forecasting model. If the timing of the actual power generation data (from inverters or meters) does not align with the time reference of the forecast data, calculating the forecasting error becomes meaningless. Only after time synchronization is achieved can prediction evaluation and model optimization be based on reliable data.
Why is it necessary to strictly record the charging and discharging sequences at energy storage stations?
When energy storage stations participate in grid frequency regulation, peak shaving, and reserve capacity, the start times, durations, and power change rates of charging and discharging must be accurately recorded. This data is not only used for electricity billing but also serves as the basis for evaluating grid dispatch performance. If the time recorded by the energy storage PCS/BMS does not align with the time of the dispatch command, disputes may arise—such as when “dispatch records show that a command has been issued, but energy storage records indicate it has not yet been executed.” A unified time reference ensures that charging and discharging events are strictly correlated with dispatch commands.
What time synchronization requirements must be met for new energy stations to connect to the grid?
Grid connection of new energy facilities typically requires compliance with the following: Grid-connected protection devices (such as fault ride-through and anti-islanding protection) must be connected via IRIG-B or NTP to ensure a unified time reference; the timestamps of data transmitted by telecontrol devices to the dispatch master station must be synchronized with the master station; the time synchronization status of power forecasting and AGC/AVC systems must be verifiable; and the time synchronization of protections and waveform recorders at step-up substations must meet the technical requirements of the power grid company. It is recommended to configure the system during the design phase in accordance with the local power grid’s grid-connection dispatch protocols and the latest technical specifications.
Get a Time Synchronization Solution for New Energy Stations
Whether you’re building an integrated wind-solar-storage facility, upgrading an aging wind farm, or connecting to a remote central control center, Beidou Bangtai’s engineering experts are always available to provide professional advice. We help you build a new energy infrastructure system that withstands extreme cold and sandstorms and supports remote monitoring.
Recommended information to include when submitting the list:
- Facility Type (Wind Power/Solar Power/Energy Storage/Multi-Energy Complementary)
- Installed Capacity and Site Area
- Number of Wind Turbines/Inverters/Energy Storage PCS Units
- Voltage Levels at Step-Up Substations
- Is there already a central control center?
- Communication Network Conditions
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