Connection System for Small and Medium-Size Wind Generators through the Integration in an MMC and NLC Modulation

Abstract

This paper presents a new way of organizing a wind farm with a large number of small to medium-sized turbines. Each wind generator has been included in a switching module of a modular multilevel converter (MMC), which generates the output voltage by near level control (NLC). The proposed topology reduces the number of semiconductors required, switching losses, and voltage filtering requirements. This topology replaces the usual configuration where each wind turbine is connected to a three-phase two-level back-to-back converter plus a filter and then connected in parallel with the other wind generators. To test the topology and its control performance, a case has been developed and simulated for generator configurations producing the same power, for generation imbalances between phases and for imbalances between arms. The analysis of the data shows that the converter works correctly and that it can deliver power to the grid in a balanced way even if the generation has imbalances. The generation imbalances between phases are compensated through the average value of the circulating current, while the imbalances between arms are compensated through the 50 Hz circulating current.

Keywords

• modular multilevel converter (MMC)
• near level control (NLC)
• small wind turbine
• wind farm