Model predictive control of multilevel inverter used in a wind energy conversion system application

Abstract

• Improvement of power quality using Multilevel inverters instead of the two-level conventional one. • Investigation of a novel Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategy for multilevel inverters in Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS). • Significant reductions in output voltage harmonics using MPC to control Multilevel inverter compared to traditional Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). • Real-time MPC implementation in WECS to optimize power production by adjusting control inputs based on wind conditions. • Substantial reduction of grid-injected current harmonics (3.15%) for a 5-level WECS using MPC compared to a baseline 2-level PWM WECS. The rapid growth of renewable energy, particularly wind energy, has significantly contributed to global electricity generation, with global renewable energy capacity reaching an all-time high of 3870 gigawatts (GW) in 2023. However, ensuring high power quality for grid integration remains crucial for wind energy's role as a leading source in the energy transition. This necessitates the development of advanced Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) capable of regulating current, voltage, and frequency to ensure power quality. This work proposes a novel predictive control strategy for multilevel inverters in WECS to achieve a total harmonic distortion (THD) below 5% in the generated electrical power. The proposed predictive control algorithm is presented and implemented in a WECS simulation with a multilevel inverter. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated through simulations using MATLAB/SIMULINK. Our results demonstrate that the predictive control approach outperforms traditional controllers for multilevel inverters in terms of output voltage, harmonic reduction, execution time, and overall WECS control.