Performance dynamics improvement of a hybrid wind/fuel cell/battery system for standalone operation

The present study is concerned with improving the dynamics of a hybrid generation system utilized for feeding an isolated load. The system under study consists of a wind-driven synchronous generator with permanent magnet type, a fuel cell stack and a storage battery layout used to enhance the system reliability. A detailed design for all system parts is introduced. A new formulated predictive controller is utilized to enhance the performance of synchronous generator in comparison with traditional controllers. The wind turbine power system is designed and adopted a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) strategy to optimally exploit the captured wind energy. An energy management procedure is also considered to balance the power-sharing between different system units. Extensive performance evaluation analysis is introduced in order to validate the capability of the designed controllers of the generator and fuel cell and check the feasibility of the energy management strategy (EMS) as well. The obtained results approve the capability of the proposed controller with the synchronous generator in achieving better dynamics compared with traditional schemes and confirm the validity of the fuel cell control system in managing the stack power. The results also approve the effectiveness of the designed EMS in preserving a balanced power flow.