Intelligent energy management strategy for decentralized battery storage in grid connected wind energy conversion systems

The conceptual possibility of using battery storage in order to reduce the wind power fluctuations caused by a grid connected wind energy converter systems (WECS) represent an important issue for the continuous increase in renewable energy penetration. However, degradation of the battery during the operation and thus elevated costs constitute major issues if such system configurations were to be investigated. In this paper, wind energy is levelled to forecasted values with the means of a lead-acid battery as well as sale/purchase transactions with the electricity market. This work offers a novel approach by considering the ageing of the utilized battery and by developing and analysing a number of Battery Management Strategies in order to optimize the technical and economic performance of the whole system. The real cost benefit and added generation cost analysis based on actual market electricity prices are used to evaluate the suggested BMS´s. The carried out investigation shows that intelligent strategies can enhance the system´s technical and economic performance by smoothing the wind power fluctuations, prolonging the battery´s lifetime and reducing the generation added cost due to storage integration.