In recent decades, wind energy generation has established itself as one of the most promising sources of renewable electricity worldwide. Driven by the growing demand for sustainable energy sources and the need to mitigate the environmental impacts of fossil fuels, wind power has taken on a strategic role in the energy matrices of several countries. With continuous technological advancements, wind turbines have become increasingly efficient, reliable, and economically viable, contributing to the rapid expansion of wind farms on a global scale. The performance of these turbines is directly linked to the aerodynamic design of their components, especially the blades, which are responsible for capturing the wind’s kinetic energy and converting it into mechanical energy. In this context, improving blade design becomes essential to maximize energy production, reduce losses, and increase equipment lifespan. Given this scenario, the article presents a study on the optimization of wind turbine blades, focusing on enhancing their efficiency. The main design parameters will be discussed, and the effect of geometric modifications on the overall turbine performance will be analyzed.

Microgrids are essential for modernizing the grid and increasing distributed energy resources (DERs) participation in the distribution system, especially in scenarios involving disruptions in the utility grid caused by natural disasters, extreme weather events, or power quality issues. This study presents a steady state performance analysis of the CampusGrid microgrid, deployed at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, operating in off-grid mode. An energy management system (EMS) algorithm was developed and implemented for the off-grid mode, assessing the microgrid’s ability to maintain the supply of both critical and non-critical loads, and its performance was tested through simulations that considered multiple variables, including the availability of renewable and dispatchable sources, as well as different state of charge (SOC) levels of the battery energy storage system (BESS). The simulations were conducted using Python in the Google Colab environment, allowing flexibility in modeling and data analysis. In the study cases in which the dispatchable power source was available, the critical load supply was not interrupted throughout the day. The results demonstrate the potential of CampusGrid to operate autonomously and efficiently when all DERs are available in islanded mode, ensuring resilience, reliability, and continuity of power supply.

This paper proposes a control strategy for a bidirectional grid-forming converter, operating as a virtual synchronous generator, based on an improved voltage controller to enhance the dynamics of the active and reactive power loops. The theoretical analysis and real-time simulation results demonstrate the enhanced disturbance rejection of the proposed strategy, which is based on disturbance input decoupling. Furthermore, virtual impedance is used to limit the current injected by the converter during grid transitory situations.

Energy management systems for microgrids are tailored to meet specific application needs and consider technical, economic, environmental, and reliability requirements. Regardless of their centralized or distributed structure, these systems are designed to efficiently manage microgrid operations, including energy generation, storage, and consumption, to ensure a reliable energy supply. In addition to these functions, the Energy Management System is also responsible for dealing with protection devices and systematically reacting to them to minimize disruptions, guaranteeing operational security. This study presents the strategies of a centralized energy management system deployed in a critical microgrid in Maranhão, Brazil. The protection functions in the protection devices for the two operating modes (on-grid and off-grid) and the subsequent decisions implemented as rules in the Energy Management System are discussed. This coordination between protection devices and management systems ensures rapid and selective response to faults, enhancing microgrid security and facilitating problem detection and resolution.

Wave energy converters have been attracting attention of researchers and industries all over the world. Many approaches have been presented for the modeling of these devices, but the reader might have difficulties on linking them. In this article is presented a friendly guideline for the modeling of direct-drive point absorber wave energy converters. A popular and relatively complex design is used as a guiding example, namely, a point absorber converter with a heaving buoy as wave absorption device connected to a power take-off system based on a linear generator. Both frequency and time-domain hydrodynamic modeling approaches are considered, and the absorption device hydrodynamic parameters are obtained from a dedicated diffraction-radiation analysis tool. The motion dynamics involving ocean waves and the converter elements are based on ocean and mechanical engineering theory. The linear generator electromagnetic model is based on an equivalent rotating machine which facilitates the generator analysis and the control of the energy produced. This guideline is intended to be used and adapted by new developers to test and validate their own wave energy converters.

In this paper an analytical modeling of the BEM method (Blade Element Moment Theory) with complementary correction methods for the performance analysis of the horizontal axis propeller wind turbines is described. This modeling was built from comparative analyzes of several correction methods proposed in the literature, of which those that presented better results were chosen, considering both medium and large turbines. To validate the results obtained from this modeling, experimental data from four turbines (NASA MOD-X series) in the order of 100kW to 7.3MW were used. A critical and comparative analysis was carried out to discuss the coherence of the results when predicting the performance of these turbines, with the objective of enabling the use of this modeling in a generalized way for horizontal axis propeller wind turbines with wide power range.

The microgrids have been applied satisfactorily for the supply of energy to isolated places. In isolated microgrids, energy storage systems and dispatchable energy sources are fundamental for continuous operation, and for power balance. The dispatchable sources are useful as backup, for maintenance operations, and for battery bank equalization charges. Practical experiences in isolated microgrids that uses synchronous generator (driven by a prime mover) have a potential operation problem when working with rectifiers to charge the battery bank whenever the available renewable resources are not sufficient. This is due the generator reactance that causes voltage distortions at the generator terminals, power quality problems for the microgrid and, eventually, inhibition of rectifier operation whenever there is a thyristor switching. This paper proposes the design of a bidirectional DC-AC converter control loops for application in isolated microgrids, improving the power quality, efficiency and operation. In addition, the use of a bidirectional converter reduces energy conversion losses and reduces the costs of implementing the microgrid by replacing two pieces of equipment (AC-DC and DC-AC converters) for just a single one. The contributions of the paper are the design methodology of the control loops of a bidirectional converter, whose development and application in real environment allows it to perform as grid-forming converter in isolated microgrids.

In this article, results and indicators of the operation evolution of the solar-wind hybrid microgrid installed on the island of Lençóis, Maranhão, Brazil, after ten years of operation are reported. This microgrid is considered a national reference project due to the longevity and robustness in serving the marine islands. This analysis evaluates aspects such as load evolution, challenges identified and overcome, experience with the storage system, and improvements introduced. Indicators of efficiency and socio-economic impacts are also presented and discussed.