Innovative High-Power Converters and Controls for Next-Generation Offshore Wind Energy Systems

兆瓦级的大功率变流器广泛用于海上风能系统。由于风能资源丰富，风速更高、更稳定，而且海上风能的产生比陆上风能对环境的影响更小，因此海上风能越来越受到人们的关注。随着技术的不断进步，出现了一种新型的海上风能系统，即基于串联配置的海上风电系统。与目前在实践中使用的现有系统相比，它具有显著的优势。其中一个主要优点是，它消除了对海上变电站的需要，而现有的海上风力系统需要海上变电站来容纳升压变压器、电源转换器和其他所需组件。海上变电站在初始投资、后续运行和维护成本方面非常庞大且昂贵，因此基于串联配置的海上风电系统远比现有系统更具成本效益。在此基础上，拟议研究计划的目标是为下一代串联海上风电系统开发创新的电力转换和控制。******拟议的研究计划预计将为下一代海上风电系统产生许多前沿技术和设计，包括创新的海上发电机侧和陆上电网侧功率转换器拓扑结构，这些功率转换器的最佳调制和控制算法，以及串联海上风电系统的直流扼流圈最小化方案。拟议的研究计划有望推动和推进海上风能研究领域，因为它解决了海上风电行业目前遇到的紧迫技术问题，并反映了该领域的最新研究趋势。此外，加拿大自然资源部宣布今年启动一项价值2亿美元的新兴可再生能源计划，包括海上风能，以扩大该国各省可获得的可再生能源，因此，该研究计划有望为加拿大的海上风能转换系统提供先进技术，并使加拿大受益匪浅。*****

High-power converters in the megawatt range are widely used in offshore wind energy systems. Offshore wind energy is gaining increased attention because of the considerable wind resources, higher and steadier wind speeds, and because the generation of offshore wind energy has a smaller environmental impact than that of onshore wind energy. With increasing technological advancements, a new type of offshore wind energy system, the series-connected configuration based offshore wind system, has emerged. It has significant advantages over existing systems currently used in practice. One of the main advantages is that it eliminates the need for an offshore substation which is required in existing offshore wind systems to accommodate step-up transformers, power converters, and other required components. The offshore substation is very bulky and costly in terms of initial investment, subsequent operation and maintenance costs, and therefore the series-connected configuration-based offshore wind system is far more cost efficient than existing systems. On this basis, the objective of the proposed research program is to develop innovative power conversion and control for next-generation series-connected offshore wind systems.******The proposed research program is expected to generate a number of leading-edge technologies and designs for next-generation offshore wind systems, including innovative offshore generator-side and onshore grid-side power converter topologies, optimal modulation and control algorithms for those power converters, and dc choke minimization schemes of the series-connected offshore wind system. The proposed research program is expected to boost and advance the research field of offshore wind energy because it addresses the pressing technical issues currently encountered in offshore wind industry and reflects the latest research trends in the field. In addition, Natural Resources Canada announced a launch of a $200 million expression of interest for the Emerging Renewable Power Program, including offshore wind energy, to expand renewable energy sources available to the country's provinces, this year, and therefore, the research program is expected to provide advanced technologies for offshore wind energy conversion systems in Canada and benefit Canada greatly.*****