Research on DC Network Connection with a Novel Wind Power Generation System

Wind power technology, as the most competitive renewable energy technology, is quickly developing. The wind turbine size is growing and the grid penetration of wind power is increasing rapidly. Recently, the developments on wind power technology pay more attentions on reliability, and the gearbox driving train is a main concern. Therefore, the direct drive system without a gearbox is attractive. Permanent magnet (PM) could increase the cost and installation difficulties, and PM characteristics may be affected under severe conditions. While a Switched Reluctance Generator (SRG), having the features of robustness, fault tolerance and no need for PM’s, could be a promising type of wind power generator.
The project will investigate a new wind power system, including a direct drive low speed SRG (DL-SRG) and a DC network connecting the DL-SRGs. It is expected that the system would have the features of robustness, good efficiency, fault tolerance and quick dynamic response. The experience of Danish team and Chinese team will be integrated to create synergy in the project. The system design, optimization principles, operation and control strategies will be established to realize high efficiency and reliability. Advanced digital simulator system with hardware in-loop capacity and small scale experimental prototype will be used.