Wind Farms Linked by SMES Systems

The objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of wind farms linked by SMES systems. In this work, the SMES system is applied to a wind farm that is interconnected with a grid through a back-to-back DC link for the variable speed operation of the wind turbines. This system enables the output power leveling of the wind farm depending on the power demand and can reduce the capacity of the converter system by selecting an optimal discharge/charge rate of the SMES. By using the stored energy of the SMES, this system can also compensate the inertia of the blades so that the wind turbine speed can be rapidly controlled depending on the wind condition. This paper describes the design condition of the SMES for the output power leveling of the wind farm and discusses the SMES configuration for a 100-MW class wind farm.