Several of ATCO Power’s plants provide additional capacity for the electrical energy grid in Alberta by using innovative power plant designs. Synchronous condenser: ATCO Power’s Poplar Hill power plant near Grande Prairie won the McGraw Hill Power Plant of the Year award in 2000 for its design. The power plant can operate as a synchronous condenser which allows the plant’s generator to be disconnected from the turbine and provide voltage support when needed. In this mode of operation, the gas turbine is shut off while the generator is free to spin while connected to the electric grid. The rotating mass of the generator allows for filtering of short-term voltage dips and spikes on the transmission system. A small amount of electricity is consumed to do so.
When the transmission system needs additional capacity, the turbine can be instantaneously reconnected to the generator.
Poplar Hill is located in Grande Prairie, Alberta - home of the 2010 Arctic Winter Games.
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