Induction Generator Wind Energy Research Program and Adaptive Power Factor Controller

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6909848· OSTI ID:6909848

Venkata, Subrahmanyam S; El-Sharkawi, Mohaned A

Several wind power stations consisting of clusters of wind turbines with induction generators in 20 to 400-kW range are emerging in several places in the United States. In larger stations such as in the Tehachapi pass area, east of Bakersfield in Southern California, there are already thousands of machines feeding real power into the Southern California Edison (SCE) Company's system. Similar but smaller stations can also be found in Oregon and Hawaii. Many more are expected to spring up in the Pacific Northwest as well as in other parts of the United States by the year 2000. Thus there is a great potential for wind energy. However, there are several problems associated with wind turbine systems. First and foremost is the tremendous demand of reactive power drawn by these three-phase induction generators from the utility. In most cases the amount of reactive power needed by these machines often exceeds the amount of real power they generate. Secondly, most manufacturers of the wind turbine systems are using standard induction motors as generators, resulting in less than optimum performance. Recognizing, and consequently concerned with these problems, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funded a research contract with the University of Washington (UW) to investigate effective and practical solutions. This contract was initiated in January 1983 and it was completed in December 1986. The summary and findings of these two-part investigations on the intermediate-size wind turbines is the subject of this final report. 33 refs., 58 figs., 18 tabs.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/BPA
• DOE Contract Number: AC79-80BP22849
• OSTI ID: 6909848
• Report Number(s): DOE/BP-22849-1; ON: DE90011858
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
170600* -- Wind Energy Engineering
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
240201 -- Power System Networks
Transmission & Distribution-- AC Systems-- (1990-)
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
296000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Electric Power
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECONOMICS
ELECTRIC GENERATORS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
Electric motors
Induction
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FORTRAN
HARMONICS
INTERCONNECTED POWER SYSTEMS
MACHINERY
MEASURING METHODS
MONITORING
OPERATION
OPTIMIZATION
OSCILLATIONS
PERFORMANCE
POWER FACTOR
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
POWER SYSTEMS
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
PROGRESS REPORT
RELIABILITY
SIMULATION
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SURVEYS
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TRANSIENTS
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
WIND POWER PLANTS
WIND TURBINE ARRAYS
WIND TURBINES