Title :
Evaluation of the Maximum Power Point Tracking performance in small wind turbines
Author :
De Kooning, J.D.M. ; Meersman, B. ; Vandoorn, T.L. ; Vandevelde, L.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Energy, Syst. & Autom. (EESA), Ghent Univ., Ghent, Belgium
Abstract :
In the scope of a further increase in the production of renewable energy, grid-connected small wind turbines offer a promising new technology. To ensure a market breakthrough of small wind turbines, the cost effectiveness must be maximized. Therefore, the aerodynamic efficiency or power coefficient of the turbine blades is an important factor. This power coefficient is determined by the Tip Speed Ratio (TSR), which characterizes the air flow around the blade. The control of the converter must regulate the TSR of the turbine at the most optimal value to maximize the power coefficient. This is done by the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm. In this paper, measurement data of three commercial wind turbines is used to evaluate the MPPT performance. The real TSR will be calculated from the measurements and compared to the optimal value for each wind speed. This allows to investigate whether the MPPT performs adequately. From the difference between the real TSR and the optimal TSR, an estimation will be made of the loss of energy yield caused by the possible ineffective operation of the MPPT algorithm. This paper shows and estimates the room for improvement in the MPPT of small wind turbines.
Keywords :
maximum power point trackers; power grids; wind turbines; MPPT algorithm; TSR; aerodynamic efficiency; cost effectiveness; grid-connected small wind turbines; maximum power point tracking performance; optimal value; power coefficient; renewable energy; tip speed ratio; turbine blades; wind speed; Blades; Power measurement; Rectifiers; Shafts; Wind speed; Wind turbines; Maximum power point tracking; Performance evaluation; Power coefficient; Tip-speed ratio; Wind energy;
Conference_Titel :
Power and Energy Society General Meeting, 2012 IEEE
Conference_Location :
San Diego, CA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-2727-5
Electronic_ISBN :
1944-9925
DOI :
10.1109/PESGM.2012.6344679