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Wind turbine power converter system (WTPCS) is a crucial device in a wind energy conversion system. This paper presents the new failure rate models and a reliability evaluation technique for the (WTPCS) considering effects of wind speeds, which can be named by the multistate probability analysis method. The case studies on the WTPCS of a 2 MW wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous generator are conducted using wind speed data at Lauwersoog and Valkenburg wind sites in Holland. The results indicate that reliability of the WTPCS is affected significantly by variations of wind speed and the rated wind speed of wind turbine. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic and reliability benefits of adding a wind energy conversion system (WECS) to a power system are highly dependent on the wind turbine generator (WTG) installation design, i.e., the type and number of WTG. This paper presents an approach to determine the optimum installation design at each wind site considering the WTG parameters, the total cost of WECS and the power system reliability performance. The model is formulated as a combinatorial constrained optimization problem with a nonlinear, nondifferentiable objective function, which consists of the capital, maintenance and operating costs, and the costumer interruption costs. A number of constraints, including the total installed capacity at a specific wind site and the capital cost, are considered in the model. The model is solved using a genetic algorithm with adaptive crossover and mutation probabilities based on the standard deviation of chromosome fitness in a generation population. The proposed model and algorithm are tested on two power systems. The results show that the proposed approach can be used to obtain the maximum economic and reliability benefits associated with a WECS installation and is a powerful search technique for determining the optimum number and type of WTG considering reliability performance and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]