An evaluation of flicker emissions from small wind turbines

Abstract

It is well known that the output power from small wind turbines (SWTs) fluctuates noticeably more when compared to that from other types of dispersed generators, such as residential photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems. Thus, the degradation of voltage quality, such as flicker emissions, when numerous SWTs are installed in a low-voltage distribution system is a particular concern. Nevertheless, practical examples of flicker emissions from small wind power facilities have not been made public. This paper aims to clarify the characteristics of flicker emissions by SWTs and their severity. The measurement results at the two selected sites indicate that the flicker emissions solely caused by variable-speed SWTs with a total power rating of ∼20 kW are notably lower than the upper limit, and they are at their highest when the mean total output power is approximately 3/4 of the total power rating of small wind power facilities.