Title: Development of a simple power controller for horizontal-axis standalone tidal current energy generation system

Authors: Yongjun Dong; Yang Zhao; Wanqiang Zhu; Xueming Zhang; Jingfu Guo

Addresses: School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Development and Application Innovation under Jilin Province, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China ' School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Development and Application Innovation under Jilin Province, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China ' School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Development and Application Innovation under Jilin Province, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China ' School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Development and Application Innovation under Jilin Province, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China ' School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Development and Application Innovation under Jilin Province, 5268 Renmin Street, ChangChun, Jilin Province, China

Abstract: Tidal current energy, which is one of the most predictable forms of ocean renewable energy, is mainly utilised for electricity generation. This paper presents a simple control strategy for an optimal extraction of output power from a horizontal-axis variable speed tidal current turbine generation system with a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) that is driven directly by a fixed-pitch turbine. The maximum power point tracker (MPPT) extracts the turbine's maximum power from cut-in current velocity to rated value by measuring only dc link parameters. Together with a dc-dc converter PWM controller, MPPT variable-step searching algorithm is modelled and simulated using Matlab/Simulink software. The simulation results indicate that the variable-step searching algorithm can effectively track the maximum power point without collecting the data of tidal current velocity or rotor speed. Such MPPT controller provides a simple and practical method for the maximum power control of standalone tidal current energy conversion system.

Keywords: tidal current energy generation; direct-driven PMSG; permanent magnet synchronous generator; maximum power point tracking; MPPT algorithm; PWM controller; pulse width modulation; modelling; simulation; power control; tidal energy; tidal power; wave energy; wave power; horizontal axis turbines; variable speed turbines; variable-step searching; controller design; energy conversion systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGEI.2017.080748

International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2017 Vol.40 No.1/2, pp.117 - 127

Received: 22 Nov 2014
Accepted: 07 May 2015
Published online: 06 Dec 2016 *

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