A review of MPPT algorithms employed in wind energy conversion systems

Abstract

The depleting nature of fossil fuels and the environmental threats have resulted in the emergence of renewable energy sources (RESs) as alternative and accessible energy resources. Amongst various RESs, wind energy is one of the fastest growing distributed energy resources because of its zero-carbon emission and cost efficient generation. Although wind energy is plentiful, it is of intermittent nature, i.e., the wind speed is not constant throughout. So, the strategy followed is to harness maximum output power from this variable wind as when it is available, and various algorithms for maximum power operating point tracking (MPPT) have been proposed and implemented successfully. However, choosing an exact MPPT algorithm for a particular application requires a high degree of skill as each algorithm has its pros and cons. This paper presents a review of various MPPT algorithms suggested in the literature.