A direct drive grid connected wind energy system with STATCOM and super-capacitor energy storage

In this paper, a grid connected permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based direct drive variable speed wind turbine with a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is investigated in Matlab/Simpower environment to achieve the uninterrupted operation of wind farms during grid disturbances. The main idea behind uninterrupted operation is that wind turbine does not trip when grid disturbances occur or there is sudden change of load. The proposed control strategy for super capacitor based STATCOM effectively reduces the level of voltage sag, enhance the low voltage/fault ride through capability of the wind farm and mitigate the power quality issue at the point of common coupling (PCC).Results shows that the STATCOM with supercapacitor energy storage can enhance the dynamic performance of the direct drive wind energy system.