A Peak Power Tracker for Small Wind Turbines in Battery Charging Applications

A. M. De Broe, S. Drouilhet, V. Gevorgian

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

188 Scopus Citations

Abstract

This paper describes the design, implementation and testing of a prototype version of a peak power tracking system for small wind turbines in battery charging applications. The causes for the poor performance of small wind turbines in battery charging applications are explained and previously proposed configurations to increase the power output of the wind turbines are discussed. Through computer modeling of the steady-state operation the potential performance gain of the proposed system in comparison with existing systems is calculated. It is shown that one configuration consisting of reactive compensation by capacitors and a DC/DC converter is able to optimally load the wind turbine and thus obtain maximum energy capture over the whole range of wind speeds. A proof of concept of the peak power tracking system is provided by building and testing a prototype version The peak power tracking system is tested in combination with a typical small wind turbine generator on a dynamometer. Steady-state operating curves confirming the performance improvement predicted by calculations are presented.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)1630-1635
Number of pages6
JournalIEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion
Volume14
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1999

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/JA-500-28227

Keywords

  • Battery charging
  • DC/DC converter
  • Wind turbine

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