Modelling and control of micro-wind turbines for deployment in Antarctica

This paper presents the modelling and control of a micro-wind turbine specifically designed for deployment in Antarctica. First, a model for the PM generator used in the turbine was validated. Then, wind tunnel measurements were carried out to estimate the tip speed ratio and power coefficient of the turbine. Finally, a simplified sensorless speed estimation algorithm based only on DC side measurements and a Kalman filter for error compensation was tested with promising results under different working conditions. The speed estimator proved to be robust and accurate even when the DC line was shortcircuited.