Maximum Power Point Tracking for Stand‐Alone Wind Energy Conversion System Using FLC‐P&O Method

The perturbation and observation method (P&O method) is commonly used for maximum power point tracking in wind energy conversion systems. However, the selection of a suitable step size for this method is the key challenge when employing this technique. To address this, the paper presents a new method, called the FLC‐P&O method, in which a combination of fuzzy logic control (FLC) and the conventional P&O method is used. Both simulation and experimental results are presented in order to demonstrate the performance of the proposed MPPT method. Experimental testing is performed on both a laboratory wind simulator and a practical wind turbine. The results confirm that the FLC‐P&O method can provide better maximum power point tracking performance compared to the conventional P&O method. Moreover, the implementation and testing of the proposed technique on a practical wind turbine can extract more energy compared to conventional P&O. All findings are verified experimentally.