Development of a Unified Design, Test, and Research Platform for Wind Energy Systems Based on Hardware-in-the-Loop Real-Time Simulation

Traditionally, offline modeling and simulation has been the tool of choice for improving wind energy system control strategies and their utility system integration. This paper exploits how a newly established real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test facility, which is designed for testing all-electric ship propulsion systems, can be utilized for wind energy research. The test site uses two 2.5-MW/220-rpm dynamometers and a 5-MW variable voltage and frequency converter to emulate a realistic dynamic environment, both mechanically and electrically. The facility is controlled by a digital real-time electric power system simulator that is capable of simulating electrical networks and control systems of substantial complexity, typically with a 50-$muhboxs$time step. Substantial input/output allows the feedback of measured quantities into the simulation. A 15-kW mock-up motor–generator set is used to demonstrate some critical aspects of the concept including the implementation of a proposed neural-network-based sensorless maximum wind energy capture control. From the dynamic test results presented, it is concluded that the proposed system shows great potential for the development of a unified wind energy design, test, and research platform.