Power network support using wind turbines with energy storage systems

Wind turbines are now required to provide power network support. This paper investigates the use of energy storage system with wind turbines to provide support to the power system. An energy storage device with a bidirectional dc-dc converter connected to the dc link of a fully rated converter based wind turbine is proposed. With such configuration, both active and reactive power can be independently controlled and modulated. Active power control in the event of sudden power change can reduce the frequency variation. Power oscillation can be damped by regulate the active and reactive power output from the line side converter. Control methods are investigated and validated by simulation studies based on a simplified Irish power network using MATLAB/ Simulink. Case studies during generator trip, load reduction, and ac fault prove that the proposed configuration and control methods can provide significant improvement to the power network operation.