An efficient power conversion scheme for a three-phase wind-driven induction generator feeding a single-phase grid

An efficient power conversion scheme is proposed for supplying power to a 1-phase grid from a 3-phase wind-driven induction generator. To obtain maximum power output in the wind energy electric conversion scheme and also to maintain in-phase sinusoidal current both at the generator and the utility side, a simple control strategy has been developed with two controllers namely, Induction Generator Side Controller (IGSC) and Utility Side Controller (USC) The proposed scheme is efficient as it provides the following advantages: (i) balanced stator phase currents at all the operating points (ii) elimination of the reactive power taken from the grid by maintaining unity power factor (UPF) both at the terminals of the generator and the grid (iii) maximum power extraction over a wide range of wind velocities by sensing only the dc quantities (iv) constant dc-link voltage enabling the integration of additional sources of energy sources to the proposed scheme and also upgrading it to a three-phase transmission system for future expansion The performance of the scheme have been verified both in simulation and experimentation using a prototype 3.7kW Induction generator.