Achievement

Trainee Michael Johnson developed a dc-based topology utilizing series-connected permanent-magnet synchronous generators for offshore wind farms, as an alternative to the common ac topology. The system’s design consisted of the individual wind turbine power electronics, the collection system topology, and the overall system control. An efficiency analysis indicated that the proposed dc topology leads to energy savings due to the reduced number and different type of energy conversion stages, as well as a variable-voltage control strategy. This work was reported in the following paper: Johnson, M.H., Chen, H., & Aliprantis, D.C. (2013, February). Offshore wind farm with DC collection system . Proceedings from Power and Energy Conference at Illinois (PECI), 2013 IEEE , pp.53-59.