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Inverter for Small Wind Power Stations Focus: The efficiency of wind turbines with several kilowatts of output depends on the control technique and inverter topology used to control generator operation and convert the generator's output to ac power that may be fed back to the utility grid. This article describes operation of two inverter topologies, a conventional dc-ac converter and a back-to-back converter that employs two three-phase voltage-source inverters. Since the speed of the generator affects its power output at different wind speeds, wind power systems need to control the speed of the generator for maximum efficiency. The article discusses the speed control techniques typically used with the two inverter topologies; why power factor correction is needed to correct distortion on the rectified generator output and also to improve generator efficiency; how field oriented control of a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) results in greater power transfer from generator to inverter than sinusoidal commutation; operation of a single-phase voltage-source inverter stage for feeding power back to the grid and design considerations for optimizing its performance; and the possible future integration of the inverter in the generator housing using a matrix converter.
What you’ll learn: - How to understand the inverter topology options and generator control techniques for wind turbines with several kilowatts of output
- How to optimize the efficiency of wind power systems with several kilowatts of output (overview)
Notes: Article appears on pages 34-35 of August issue in article archive. You must register to access articles in this magazine's archive.
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Author & Publication: Tobias Hofer and Ralf Negele, Negal Engineering GmbH Switzerland, Bodo's Power Systems, Aug 01 2009
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