Power converters and control of wind energy conversion systems

The rapid increase in global energy consumption and the impact of greenhouse gas emissions has accelerated the transition towards greener energy sources. The need for distributed generation employing renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and fuel cells has gained significant momentum. Advanced power electronic systems, affordable high performance devices, and smart energy management principles are deemed to be an integral part of renewable, green and efficient energy systems. This paper discuss the most emerging renewable energy source, wind energy, which by means of power electronics is changing from being a minor energy source to be acting as an important power source in the energy system and the standard power converter topologies from the simplest converters for starting up the turbine to advanced power converter topologies, where the whole power is flowing through the converter.