Wind Energy Conversion Systems and Artificial Neural Networks: Role and Applications

Abstract

The deployment of renewable energy sources along with the conventional power network have raised many challenges that require the implementation of modern and intelligent solutions. Wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) have transformed significantly since artificial neural networks (ANNs), intensively emerged into their applications. This paper presents a relatively comprehensive review of the role and applications of ANNs in wind energy conversion systems. The ANNs definition, types of activation functions, major application areas and a detailed overview of the WECSs are provided. The main part of the paper addresses in detail the applications of ANNs in WECS. Particularly, three main applications are discussed, which are wind speed prediction, wind power control, and diagnosis identifications. Finally, the last section highlights some of the main findings and provides a comparison between different artificial neural networks algorithms in terms of popularity in WECS applications.