Kenetech Windpower, Inc.

General Electric Company

Clipper Windpower Technology, Inc.

U.S. Windpower, Inc.

Acciona Windpower, S.a.

Other

Etm Electromatic, Inc.

Advanced Rail Energy Storage, LLC

Zond Energy Systems, Inc.

Clipper Windpower, Inc.

Chipper Windpower Technology, Inc.

Global Energyconcepts,llc

Nordex Energy Spain, S.a.

William L Erdman

Kevin L Cousineau

Amir S Mikhail

William E Holley

Craig Leonard Christenson

David Deam

Jackson Moore

Michael R Behnke

Robert Thomas Scott

Miguel Núñez Polo

Robert D Richardson

William R Peitzke

Matthew B Brown

David I Scott

Ricardo Royo Garcia

William Moorhead

Douglas C Blodgett

Miguel Nunez Polo

Lawrence Howes

Steve Tonks

Edward Robert Nelson

Terry M Lettenmaier

William H Moorhead

Michael Behnke

An inverter control is used to control the output of a distributed power generating station, such as a photovoltaic (PV) solar power station, connected to a power grid. The power station is connected to an inverter output. Pulse width modulation is used to shape the output in order to maximize power output within power quality parameters and provides control of a switching frequency of the inverter responsive to a sensed parameter. The technique allows an increase in output efficiency and provides for adjustment of power output to meet power quality parameters to an extent required in order to connect to the power grid.

Inverter modulator with variable switching frequency responsive to a sensed parameter

A potential energy storage system incorporating multiple track mounted shuttle units having motor/generator drive bogies and structure with an integral transfer mechanism for removably carrying energy storage masses from a first lower elevation storage yard to a second higher elevation storage yard employing excess energy from the electrical grid driving the motors, removing the masses in the second storage yard for energy storage, retrieving the masses and returning the masses from the second storage yard to the first storage yard recovering electrical energy through the generators.

Utility scale electric energy storage system

Inverter modulator with variable switching frequency

The disclosure details implementations of apparatuses, methods, and systems for regulating DC bus voltages. In an implementation, the system is configured to regulate the DC bus voltage directly by operating at the DC bus rather than indirectly on the AC side of the DC bus. In one implementation, the DC voltage regulator is configured with components including a DC voltage regulator power control board, a switching device, a resistor, and a flyback diode. In one non-limiting implementation example, the DC voltage regulator may be used to control the DC bus voltage of a doubly fed induction generator of a wind turbine. In this implementation, the DC voltage regulator effectively protects the converter of the induction generator and also reduces the transient torques on the generator shaft during voltage irregularities. This, in turn, reduces excessive wear on the wind turbine gearbox by limiting fatigue loads on the gear teeth that may result from transient torques.

DC voltage regulator

A group of solar power stations with inverters are adjusted in order to achieve optimum power output in accordance with maximum power-point tracking (MPPT). The MPPT data is used to perform adjustments. Power measurement factors, including Maximum Power Points (MPPs) are established to represent a bus-voltage setting that produces the maximum power output from an individual photovoltaic panel. These settings are established for the group so as to optimize power output under a variety of operating conditions.

Networked multi-inverter maximum power-point tracking

A wind turbine includes a wind turbine tower and a power electronic control system located within the wind turbine tower. The power electronic control system includes heat generating components. The heat generating components are directly mounted to the inner surface of the wind turbine tower dissipating the heat generated by the heat generating components directly to the inner surface of the wind turbine tower. In this way, a good thermal conducting path to the entire wind turbine tower is provided. A method for conducting heat generated in electronic equipment housed within a wind turbine tower uses the tower as a heat sink for cooling purposes.

Thermal management system for wind turbine

The disclosure details implementations of apparatuses, methods, and systems for facilitating efficient operational characteristics for wind turbine generators. The system includes features that facilitate protecting the power semiconductors used in the power converters of variable speed power generation systems from excessive junction temperatures. These features may be achieved by implementing a synchronous speed avoidance (SSA) controller implemented to facilitate a determined active control range as an electrical torque/power-generator rotor speed controller. The determined active control range may be centered around a generator synchronous speed. The upper and lower bounds of the active control range are determined based on operational junction temperature characteristics of power semiconductors used within a power converter, reliability characteristics of the power semiconductors and/or current ratings of the power semiconductors.

Systems and methods for synchronous speed avoidance in doubly-fed induction generators

The disclosure describes implementations of methods, systems and apparatuses that are configured to facilitate normal operating characteristics for a wind turbine during normal operation, as well as during voltage irregularities. In an implementation, a turbine controller coordinates operating primary turbine systems and ancillary turbine systems during normal operation and during voltage irregularities. During normal operation, the turbine controller coordinates powering both primary and ancillary turbine systems through a power supply. During a detected voltage event, ancillary turbine systems may be transitioned to a having an uninterruptible power supply power these systems. However, the turbine controller coordinates maintaining the power supply as the sole powering device for primary turbine systems despite a voltage irregularity. In some implementations, when the power supply reaches a critical level during a voltage irregularity, a system fault flag is generated and the turbine blades may be driven into a full feather operational position.

Systems, methods and apparatuses for a wind turbine controller

A wind powered turbine with low voltage ride-through capability. An inverter is connected to the output of a turbine generator. The generator output is conditioned by the inverter resulting in an output voltage and current at a frequency and phase angle appropriate for transmission to a three-phase utility grid. A frequency and phase angle sensor is connected to the utility grid operative during a fault on the grid. A control system is connected to the sensor and to the inverter. The control system output is a current command signal enabling the inverter to put out a current waveform, which is of the same phase and frequency as detected by the sensor. The control system synthesizes current waveform templates for all three-phases based on a sensed voltage on one phase and transmits currents to all three-phases of the electrical system based on the synthesized current waveforms.

Power system with low voltage ride-through capability

Wind turbine generator apparatus with utility fault ride-through capability

Generator with utility fault ride-through capability

A variable speed system for use in systems, such as, for example, wind turbines, is described. The system comprises a wound rotor induction generator, a torque controller and a proportional, integral derivative (PID) pitch controller. The torque controller controls generator torque using field oriented control, and the PID controller performs pitch regulation based on generator rotor speed.

Variable speed wind turbine generator

An approach to wind farm design using variable speed wind turbines with low pulse number electrical output. The output of multiple wind turbines are aggregated to create a high pulse number electrical output at a point of common coupling with a utility grid network. Power quality at each individual wind turbine falls short of utility standards, but the aggregated output at the point of common coupling is within acceptable tolerances for utility power quality. The approach for aggregating low pulse number electrical output from multiple wind turbines relies upon a pad mounted transformer at each wind turbine that performs phase multiplication on the output of each wind turbine. Phase multiplication converts a modified square wave from the wind turbine into a 6 pulse output. Phase shifting of the 6 pulse output from each wind turbine allows the aggregated output of multiple wind turbines to be a 24 pulse approximation of a sine wave. Additional filtering and VAR control is embedded within the wind farm to take advantage of the wind farm's electrical impedence characteristics to further enhance power quality at the point of common coupling.

Wind farm electrical system

Growing community of inventors

Moraga, CA, United States of America

William L Erdman