Solar and wind energy conversion system

Abstract

Solar and wind energy conversion systems, interfaced to the utility grid using DC-AC inverters and AC-DC-AC converters respectively, are now gaining wide-spread interests because of the fast depletion of fossil fuels and the detrimental environmental impacts created by the conventional methods of energy generation. Comparatively, solar and wind energy are cleaner, and more importantly, they are abundantly available, implying that sustainability is definitely guaranteed if energy can smoothly he harnessed from these two main renewable sources. But unfortunately, the smooth harnessing of energy from the sun and wind is not as straightforward as extracting energy from fossil fuels, and they usually require the adoption of advanced power electronic and control technologies. Therefore, opportunities for researching solar and wind energy systems are abundant, where one topic proposed for investigation in this thesis is the performing of case studies under fault conditions tor a chosen four-bus network with solar and wind energy sources interconnected.