Wind energy conversion technologies and engineering approaches to enhancing wind power generation: A review

Nowadays, engineers are toiling away to achieve the maximum possible wind energy harvesting with low costs through enhancing the performances of WECSs in efforts to realize the wind power future forecasts. In fact, achieving this is basically not an easy task due to the intricacies that partly stem from the stochastic nature of wind energy. Further, the efforts in this regard can also be impacted by the ongoing trends in various wind energy conversion-related technologies, and engineering approaches. Hence, the wind power optimization is determined depending on the types of WECS technologies, output power smoothing, and design development approaches that be employed. Currently, the variable speed operations-based WECS technologies are generally opted in wind farm applications. Meanwhile, power management system is the heart of a WECS, where smoothing output power with reducing costs could be implemented. On the other hand, the automated control strategies were reported in literatures to better optimize WECSs’ performances particularly in terms of costs compared to ESS devices. On this basis, MBPC and hybrid control algorithms were commonly presented as the current state-of-the-art for systems modeling, whereas MBD was preferred to be an efficient and cost-saving approach for advanced development of automated control systems. This study aims to conduct comparative analyses on WECS technologies (with different generators, and PECs) based on their energy harvesting capability, cost-effectiveness, and advances in designs. Assessments of the approaches and strategies for smoothing power production are also presented. Finally, the study concludes that trends in PECs, automated control strategies and MBD are the most compelling.