The Experimental Study on the Impacts of the Integration of DFIG Connected Wind Turbine into Distribution Grid

Recently, the advanced developments in the field of wind energy technology have had a direct impact on the increased power production globally. Presented in this paper is the developed experimental model of a wind turbine control system, used to investigate the integration of a wind farm into the distribution network, which is a complicated engineering process requiring good engineering practices. This experiment was conducted at the High Voltage and Direct Current (HVDC) laboratory situated at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus. This wind turbine system uses the Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) which is advantageous due to: the variable speed constant frequency (VSCF) operation, the reduced voltage flicker and independent control capabilities for maximum power point tracking (MPPT), and active and reactive power controls at the point of common coupling (PCC). The aim of this experiment is to analyze the impact of the connected variable speed DFIG wind turbine on the distribution network at normal wind conditions and disturbance wind conditions. The large-scale integration of wind energy sources in to the power grid creates technical challenges due to the intermittent nature of wind. Thus, there is a need to investigate the impact of the specified challenges on voltage quality and power system stability. From this experimental study, it was revealed that the influence of these technical challenges increases with the increase in the integration of wind energy into the power grid.