Control of an 80-kW wind turbine connected to a DC microgrid

The paper main objective is to provide a feasibility study for the connection of a wind turbine to a dc microgrid. The wind turbine, provided by WES, uses a squirrel-cage generator, which is a given project variable. Hence, the main aspects which determines the performance of the the wind turbine connection to the dc microgrid are related with the turbine control - such as the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) system and pitch control - and other relevant mechanical and electrical components, such as the generator and the ac-dc converter. Additionally, a dynamic analysis is performed to select a power conversion unit - dc-dc converter - which is able to provide energy with high quality standards from the wind turbine to the dc microgrid. Based on the selected power convertion unit, a control strategy for the complete wind energy conversion system - from wind turbine to the dc microgrid - is developed. For the selected wind energy conversion system configuration, measurements performed on a real wind turbine are used in a hybrid simulation to validate the developed dc microgrid control and dynamic models.