Abstract
Small wind turbines (SWTs) have been a common option for rural electrification during recent decades. Recently, an application for connecting these devices to the grid was proposed. This requires an AC-coupled configuration, which brings the need for a power converter necessary for connection to the AC bus. This publication analyzes the requirements and commercial availability of such power converters, coming first to a conclusion on the lack of existing electronic power converters for SWTs, mainly in the lowest power range (<1 kW). As a result of this need, PV power converters were proposed, as they are both economically competitive and commercially available. The use of PV power converters for SWT AC-coupled applications is therefore analyzed as well, bringing a second conclusion: their use is possible but not straightforward, as some adaptations have to be taken into account. Finally, a suggested adaptation is proposed, in terms of hardware and software; the first field results of a prototype are presented, and they look very promising.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2082 |
Journal | Energies |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2022 |
MoE publication type | A2 Review article in a scientific journal |
Funding
This research received external funding from the REGEDIS network within the Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnolog?a para el Desarrollo (CYTED) [62].
Keywords
- AC-coupled
- Electronic power converter
- Overvoltage protection
- Prototype field test
- Small wind turbine
- Solar PV inverter