MPPT in Wind Energy Conversion Systems

The world is seeing a tremendous growth in terms of industrialization and therefore more energy consumption. As the fossil fuels are depleting at a faster pace, there is an urgent need to shift focus on Renewable Energy Source. Among the available sources, Solar and Wind are the most preferred source because it is available at free of cost and in abundance. This article considers the wind energy source and gives a glimpse about the MMPT used in Wind Energy Systems.

Wind Energy is grown tremendously in recent years because of its technological advancement and cost effective source. With more and more wind energy is penetrating into the existing grid; there is a need for the WECS to always operate optimally at its maximum power. In order to achieve this, wind energy must track the maximum power or it should operate as a function of maximum power. This is called the Maximum Power Point operation. Generally the WECS operates in different regions as shown in below figure.

The MPPT is generally designed to operate in region 2. The output characteristic of WECS that operates optimally at maximum point is shown in below figure.

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The various MPPT techniques used in WECS is given below:

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?Each algorithm has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is left up to the designer to decide suitable technique among the several available algorithms, for a given setup and thereby enhance the system performance to maximize the output produced