Performance Analysis of Stand-Alone Wind Energy Power Conversion System

Abstract

Earlier, the production of electricity was primarily reliant on non-renewable sources such as coal and diesel. However, these sources have limited availability and will eventually be depleted. Therefore, it is crucial to shift our focus towards renewable sources for electricity generation. Wind energy is considered one of the cleanest and most sustainable forms of renewable energy. The cost and maintenance associated with generating electricity from wind energy are significantly lower compared to other sources. However, the irregular flow of wind energy makes it challenging to directly convert it into electrical form. To address this issue, Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) are required. WECS can be utilized in both gridconnected and stand-alone systems to meet their respective load demands. One of the main concerns with WECS is the mechanical safety and the output power of the system. The inconsistent supply of wind can lead to wear and tear of the turbine blades. To prevent this, a pitch control system is implemented to regulate the blades’ angle. Additionally, the rotational speed of the rotor is affected by improper wind supply, which ultimately impacts the output power. To maximize the power output from the rotor, an MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) control scheme is employed. In this study, a DC load system representing a telecom base station is used as the base system to analyze the control scheme under various wind profiles using MATLAB/SIMULINK.