High power wind generator designs with less or no PMs: An overview

The recent steep increase in high energy permanent magnet (PM) price (above 130$/kg and more) triggered already strong R&D efforts to develop wind generators with less PMs (less weight in NdFeB magnets/kW or the use of ferrite PMs) or fully without PMs. All these by optimizing existing dc excited synchronous generators, by doubly-fed (wound rotor) induction and cage induction generators and by introducing new topologies with pertinent costs for high power (MW range) wind energy conversion units. The present overview attempts, based on recent grid specifications, an evaluation of commercial and novel wind generator systems with less or no PMs: from classifications based in principle and on gear ratio, through topologies, modeling, design and performance issues, with results from literature and also from authors findings. It is hoped that such a study, focused on the wind generator itself (though considering the interaction with the PWM converter in terms of power/speed range, losses, kVA, and costs) rather than on the control issues which abound in literature, will be of use for future R&D efforts in wind energy conversion, storage and use.