Performance Improvement of Weak Grid-Connected Wind Energy System Using FLSRF-Controlled DSTATCOM

Abstract

Wind energy (WE) is emerging as a green and clean energy source. The power quality (PQ) significantly deteriorates when WE sources are connected to the weak ac grid. This is due to the variable wind speed, the impedance of weak grids, and nonlinear loads. This article proposes a methodology to improve the PQ in the weak grid with WE penetration using additional distribution static compensator (DSTATCOM). Fuzzy logic (FL) controller is implemented in the conventional synchronous reference frame (SRF) scheme to minimize the oscillations in the voltage signals. Also, a feedforward block of the WE source is incorporated in the FLSRF control scheme for adapting changes associated with the wind speed. The proposed control scheme accommodates the changes related to the grid’s strength, wind speed, load currents, and dc-link voltage dynamics to estimate the switching signals for the DSTATCOM. The MATLAB simulation and experimental studies established the effectiveness of the proposed method for enhancing the PQ performance of weak grid-connected WE sources in the presence of nonlinear loads.