Comparison of multi-MW converters considering the determining factors in wind power application

Many power converter configurations have been proposed for the next generation multi-MW wind turbines. However a comprehensive comparison based on the real determining factors in the wind power application is still missing. In fact the existing evaluation criteria and methods for the multi-MW power converters are normally targeted to the industrial drive applications, and they did not take into account the special requirements in the case of wind power. This paper tries to unify and compare several promising wind power converters by a series new model and perspective. The evaluation criteria will mainly focus on the cost-effectiveness of power semiconductors and the converter performances when complying with grid codes — which are more crucial for the wind power converters. It is concluded that the power converters with various voltage levels, topologies, and paralleling structures are possible to be unified for comparison. And the two-level low-voltage converter solution still shows cost advantage regarding power semiconductors, while some multi-level medium-voltage converter solutions can show better performance when complying with the grid codes.