Certain investigations on direct drive wind energy conversion system with reduced stage power conversion using z source inverter and matrix converter

Abstract

The energy demand of the world is increasing rapidly and the newlinesearch for new energy sources is the top priority as the conventional sources newlinewill be exhausted quite soon One such identified new energy source available newlinein plenty and that can be continuously renewed is wind energy The wind newlineturbine technology has undergone a dramatic transformation from the year newline1970 Wind energy will become a significant source of electrical energy newlinesupply In a fast developing economy like India the energy demand will be newlinethree to four times what it is today in the next ten years Renewable energy newlinesuch as wind energy will be one of the options to meet this demand newlineThere are two types of Wind Energy Conversion System WECS newlinesuch as fixed speed and variable speed wind turbine driven energy systems newlineThe most commonly used generator in fixed speed WECS is induction newlinegenerator but it requires bulky excitation capacitors and bidirectional power newlineflow controllers However the power factor is low In recent days variable newlinespeed WECS combined with power electronic interfaces is becoming popular newlinebecause of its capacity to harness wind power effectively and efficiently newline newline