Sliding mode robust control of the horizontal wind turbines with model uncertainties

Wind turbines are generally controlled based on two control objectives: turbine protection and the generation of acceptable power for the grid. In this paper, a robust control strategy is presented for switching between various operating modes of the turbine. The rotor angular speed is hold below the allowable speed in all operation time. It is also attempted to catch a constant power in a desirable amount during the most of operation time. For the elimination of model/environmental uncertainties, sliding mode controllers are used. For the objective of power tracking, the stability of sliding mode controller is proved for a set of sliding surfaces. Advantages and disadvantages of the selected sliding surfaces are discussed. Moreover, some operating conditions of the wind turbine are investigated to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed control technique. Implementation of the above proposed control law in its related electronic circuit of the wind turbine will be considered as the future stage of the current research.