Propuesta de electrónica de potencia para la protección y optimización del desempeño de una turbina eólica de baja potencia conectada a la red eléctrica de baja tensión

Abstract

Small “SWT” wind turbines have been a common choice for rural electrification for recent decades. But for some years, various power electronics options have been developed to adequately link these systems to the electrical grid, which beyond the technical challenges, the conclusion is that there are few commercial power converters for wind energy in the order or below the kW of power, where most companies have ventured their developments towards photovoltaic solar energy (PV). Despite this and given the need in Argentina to be able to continue taking advantage of wind energy on a small scale, but linked to the electrical grid, and the conceptual differences with solar PV, this work, through what was done in The SWTOMP program between UTN FRN, INTI, CIEMAT, and other institutions, proposes a power electronics alternative, of the chopper type, (open source or free use). Adapting these converters to low power wind power (less than a few kW), and mainly for this, developing an innovative and simple control, which protects, from the rapid variations of the wind resource, both the mechanical system due to overspeeds of rotation and the inverter from overvoltages. On the other hand, locate the wind turbine in a general state close to optimal according to its specifications. Therefore, the technological development and the auspicious first results are shown, through the measurements taken in the wind turbine evaluation laboratory owned by the INTI in CutralCó-Neuquén, Patagonia Argentina, on a 1kW wind turbine from the company EOLOCAL.