Shake table tests were undertaken on an actual wind turbine (65 kW rated power, 22.6 m hub height and a 16 m rotor diameter) using the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table at the University of California, San Diego. Each base shaking event was imparted in two states, whereas the turbine rotor was still (parked), and while it was spinning (operational). Each state was tested in two orientations of shaking direction, one parallel (fore-aft) and another perpendicular (side-to-side) to the axis of rotation of the rotor. Structural response characteristics are presented for motions imparted in both configurations and both operational states. Modal parameters (natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes) were estimated throughout the testing program. It is found that shaking imparted in the fore-aft direction while spinning is the only observed situation where operational effects appear significant, with reductions up to 33% in seismic bending moment demand near the tower base. Using modifications developed by the research team to the FAST code, experimental results are compared with corresponding simulations to show that dynamic characteristics, acceleration time histories and trends in tower bending seismic demand can be numerically approximated. This experimental evidence and associated numerical simulations suggest that modeling of combined wind and earthquake loading with existing turbine specific codes produce meaningful results. Discrepancies between experimental and numerical results support that further refinement of simulation codes can improve accuracy beyond the current state.

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The size of wind farm power systems is increasing, and so is the number of wind farms contributing to the power systems network. The size of wind turbines is also increasingfrom less than 1 MW a few years ago to the 2-to 3-MW machines being installed today and the 5-MW machines under development.The interaction of the wind farm, energy storage, reactive power compensation, and the power system network is being investigated. Because the loads and the wind farms' output fluctuate during the day, the use of energy storage and reactive power compensation is ideal for the power system network. Energy storage and reactive power compensation can minimize real/reactive power imbalances that can affect the surrounding power system.In this paper, we will show how the contribution of wind farms affects the power distribution network and how the power distribution network, energy storage, and reactive power compensation interact when the wind changes. We will also investigate the size of the components in relation to each other and to the power system.

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Traditional wind turbines are commonly equipped with induction generators because they are inexpensive, rugged, and require very little maintenance. Unfortunately, induction generators require reactive power from the grid to operate; capacitor compensation is often used. Because the level of required reactive power varies with the output power, the capacitor compensation must be adjusted as the output power varies. The interactions among the wind turbine, the power network, and the capacitor compensation are important aspects of wind generation that may result in self-excitation and higher harmonic content in the output current. This paper examines the factors that control these phenomena and gives some guidelines on how they can be controlled or eliminated.