Wind power conversion

Danfoss’ customized power modules and power stacks are designed to meet your application’s actual mission profile, and ultimately, lowering the cost of electricity.

Today, high performance wind turbines are built as variable speed systems with compact converters. Two generator concepts for wind energy applications are common: the Doubly-Fed-Induction-Generator (DFIG) with a gearbox, and the full-scale converter with a gearless synchronous machine.

Reliability over a long life-time is very critical. Wind turbines often operate 24/7 and are exposed to extreme weather conditions. Wear and tear is enormous and breakdowns are exceptionally expensive. This calls for rugged equipment designed for constant heavy loads.

Optimization of wind turbines and power converters is a continuous task. The main design and development challenges are concentrated around power density, efficiency and modularity while lowering costs or, as a minimum, keeping costs constant. This is extremely difficult to achieve with standard converters as standard power-conversion components must be overrated or heavily serviced during the wind turbine’s lifetime, dramatically increasing the cost of power conversion.

Furthermore, the different power converter topologies in today’s wind turbines lead to significantly different load profiles of the power modules. So, the design and cooling of these modules must be based on calculations that consider the load cycles which result from the power-converter configuration. A ‘one size fits all’ concept is simply not good enough. It requires an individually designed solution where components down to power-semiconductor level are customized to achieve the design and performance targets of the individual wind-turbine manufacturer. This can even come in a standard housing and with flat base plates, so you do not have to modify the turbine’s power-conversion system.

Danfoss’ customized power modules and power stacks are designed to meet your application’s actual mission profile. They ultimately lower the cost of ownership and so enable you to lower the cost of electricity. Our solutions help to keep the turbines spinning and reduce the wind turbines lost production factor.