Efficiency Improvement of a Nearly Zero Energy Building through the Optimal Control of the Domestic Wind Turbine

Abstract:
This paper studies the problem of the efficiency improvement in a nearly zero energy building (nZEB) by increasing the efficiency of the domestic wind turbine (WT). Since the cost of the equipment in a nZEB plays a key role, a WT with a squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG) is employed. The increase of the WT efficiency is attained through a minimum electric loss (MEL) controller for the SCIG that cooperates with a maximum point tracking controller (MPPT) that maximizes the output power of the WT. The MEL and the MPPT controllers determine the optimal d- and q-axis stator current components of the SCIG, respectively, through optimal conditions. Several experimental results are presented to validate the theoretical considerations and the effectiveness of the proposed optimal efficiency control system of a WY with SCIG.