Fractional Order Control vs Conventional PI Control of a Nonlinear Small Wind Turbine: performance comparison

This study investigates the control design of small wind turbines (SWTs) to facilitate the transition to sustainable energy sources and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Due to their compact size, SWTs have garnered significant attention in recent years, enabling deployment in diverse settings, including remote villages, isolated sites, and urban areas. This paper proposes a fractional order controller (FOC) for SWTs, demonstrating improved performance compared to conventional control strategies. Notably, our approach utilizes a nonlinear model of the SWT, eliminating the need for linearization and complex parameter tuning typically required in existing literature. The efficacy of the proposed FOC is evaluated through a comparative analysis with a standard PI controller, focusing on step response and wind speed profile response at 10 m/s mean value.