A Single-Phase D-Statcom Five Level Inverter for Wind Applications

Application of renewable energy systems has become very popular, increasing application of renewable energies in utilities can result in problems for the whole system dynamics. This dissertation presents the design of a novel multilevel inverter with FACTS capability for small to mid-size (10– 20kW) permanent-magnet wind installations using modular multi-level converter (MMC) topology. The aim of the work is to design a new type of inverter with D-STATCOM option to provide utilities with more control on active and reactive power transfer of distribution lines. The inverter is placed between the renewable energy source, specifically a wind turbine, and the distribution grid in order to fix the power factor of the grid at a target value, regardless of wind speed, by regulating active and reactive power required by the grid. The inverter is capable of controlling active and reactive power by controlling the phase angle and modulation index, respectively. The unique contribution of the proposed work is to combine the concepts of inverter and D-STATCOM using multi-level topology in a single unit without additional cost. Simulations of the proposed inverter, with 5 levels, have been conducted in MATLAB/Simulink. 5 level inverter is able to fix PF of the grid. Furthermore, total cost of the prototype models, which is one of the major objectives of this research, is comparable with market