About Induction Generators
Most of us don’t know what an induction generator is. An induction generator is one of the many types of electrical generators that produce or generate electrical power. Induction generators are often used in wind turbines and in some micro hydro installations due to their ability to produce useful power at varying rotor speeds.
Induction generators are mechanically and electrically simpler than other generator types. They are also more rugged, requiring no brushes or commutators. They are designed similar to an electric motor, like those found on various electrical machine or appliances such as pumps, fans, compressors, etc.
Induction generators are not self-exciting, meaning they require an external supply to produce a rotating magnetic flux. The external supply can be supplied from the electrical grid or from the generator itself, once it starts producing power.
The rotating magnetic flux from the stator (the stationary part) induces currents in the rotor (the rotating part), which also produces a magnetic field. If the rotor turns slower than the rate of the rotating flux, the machine acts like an induction motor. If the rotor is turned faster, it acts like a generator, producing power at the synchronous frequency.
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