|
The demand for renewable energy has been increasing in recent years, including the market of micro wind turbines. However, commercial products lack of a proper control system and emergency braking capabilities. This paper proposes an integrated control system for a micro wind turbine with an electronic braking system. The prototype uses off-the-shelf components and does not need constant maintenance. The three-phase generator output signal is rectified with an AC-DC converter, regulated with a DC-DC converter, and a series of relays will control the power flow. A capacitor bank stabilizes the voltage between the converters. Active filters minimize the noise from the voltage and current sensors while protecting the microcontroller’s Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) from voltage spikes. The microcontroller measures the voltage, current, and stop button data to determine the state that the turbine should operate and apply electronic braking if needed. The electronic brake uses a MOSFET that gradually loads the turbine to self-induce an opposing electromotive force that slows down the turbine. This control system can be implemented on commercial micro wind turbines and has been successfully tested on a 400W commercial turbine.
|
