Complete Transitions of Hybrid Wind-Diesel Systems with Clutch and Flywheel-Based Energy Storage

A Wind Diesel Hybrid System (WDHS) is an isolated power system that combines Diesel Generators (DGs) and Wind Turbines (WTGs). The WDHS has three operation modes: Diesel Only (DO), Wind Diesel (WD) and Wind Only (WO). The latter mode is the only one resulting in substantial savings, as the DG consumes fuel even with no load. Moreover, adding an energy storage system (ESS) can significantly reduce the start/stop cycles in the DG. The FESS is robust, immune to deep discharges and its state of charge (SOC) is simple to monitor. The WDHS considered in this article uses a friction clutch to disengage the diesel engine (DE) from the synchronous generator (SG) in WO mode. The AVR regulates the voltage amplitude and the frequency regulation results from balancing the power produced by the DG and WT with the power consumed by the load and dump load along with the FESS utilisation. The control algorithms of the different elements present in the WHDS are explained, as well as the general control. The FESS always has priority over the DL for the maximum harnessing of the wind power. Simulations assess the proposed solutions for the different operation modes in the WDHS.