Variable Utilization-Level Scheme for Load-Sharing Control of Wind Farm

Under maximum power point tracking control, wind power is not dispatchable and can be highly disturbing to the supply-demand balance control in the context of microgrid particularly. To effectively dispatch wind power according to, e.g., operator command or market schedule, a variable utilization level (UL) scheme is proposed for a wind power plant (WPP) to fulfill the dispatch order while reducing the loss of total energy production. Considering different wind conditions, the proposed scheme directs the power output for each wind turbine (WT) according to a specific UL, which is adaptively adjusted according to WT rotor speed so that less reduction of energy production can be ensured. Meanwhile, more rotational kinetic energy stored can be stored in WPP, which can be later released for system support when needed. The proposed variable UL scheme is fully investigated in a doubly fed induction generator-based WPP and the results clearly indicate the proposed scheme can harvest more energy than the conventional same UL one while fulfilling the dispatch demand.