Abstract
This paper presents the development and investigation of an excitation-current-basedcontrol approach for improving voltage stabilization and operating performance of a small-scalewind energy conversion system operating under variable wind speed conditions. The proposed sys-tem employs a synchronous generator with regulated excitation integrated into a subsystem-orientedMATLAB/Simulink simulation model intended for analysis of aerodynamic and electromechanicaloperating processes. A mathematical model of the wind energy conversion system was developedconsidering aerodynamic power conversion, synchronous generator electromechanical dynamics,excitation current regulation, and electrical loading conditions. A PI/PID-based excitation controlalgorithm was implemented for continuous adjustment of excitation current according to gener-ator terminal voltage deviations under transient wind operating modes. Simulation studies wereperformed under different wind speed and loading conditions in order to investigate generated volt-age, electrical power, excitation current, and rotor rotational speed characteristics. The obtainedresults demonstrated that excitation-current regulation improves voltage stabilization performance,reduces transient voltage oscillations, and enhances operating stability of the generating systemunder stochastic wind disturbances. The developed control approach also improved adaptation ofthe synchronous generator to variable mechanical loading conditions and reduced the influence ofaerodynamic disturbances on electromechanical operating behavior. The proposed excitation-basedregulation method represents a practically applicable and comparatively low-complexity approachfor improving the operating efficiency and voltage stabilization characteristics of small-scale windenergy conversion systems.