Use of large capacity SMES to improve the power quality and stability of wind farms

High penetration of wind power can negatively affect the stability of the power system. This can be particularly evident during start-up of the wind generators, when the variation of the wind farm´s output power can cause oscillations of the system frequency and possible voltage collapse. This paper focuses on the application of a large capacity superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) unit. Simulations using the detailed wind turbine model and squirrel cage induction generators demonstrate that the SMES has the potential to significantly improve the wind farm´s performance. Through control of the charging and discharging of the SMES using a power electronic interface, it is shown that the wind farm´s output power can be controlled to a constant value. In addition, there is an overall improvement in the transient and dynamic response of the system