Next Generation Power Converters for Distributed Wind Applications

There are presently no UL1741 certified, commercially available inverters or turbine ac-dc converters available for the US distributed wind market. “Distributed Wind” is defined as 10 kW to 1 MW in turbine rated power. Intergrid has been working to solve this problem for small wind turbines up to 20 kW rated power. Also new work under NREL Component Improvement contracts promises to bring certified 36 and 80 kW inverters to market. There remains a great need for inverters and turbine power converters for both lower and higher power ranges. For example, a 5 kW rated turbine is ideal for supporting residence-scale or critical infrastructure. How We Address the Problem: 1/ Power stage development from 5 kW to 500 kW with a world-class supplier. 2/ Advanced controller design that enables higher switching frequencies and lower cost designs. 3/ Designing for UL1741 and IEEE 1547 certification. 4/ Design for grid-connected, stand-alone and microgrid operation. The main focus in Phase I is development of a new inverter controller capable of switching at 100 kHz, and the ability to certify a wide range of inverters to UL1741 and IEEE1547. The lack of certified inverters designed for wind and wind-hybrid distributed energy systems is a total impediment for the US distributed wind market.