Abstract
This paper deals with a nonlinear control algorithm based on a sliding mode theory to reach the maximum power point tracking of a variable-speed wind energy conversion system. The proposed method allows us to combine the sliding mode and fractional-order theory. The fractional-order component of the control law is introduced by a sliding surface. In order to validate this controller, fractional and integer sliding modes are developed. The proposed fractional-order sliding mode control law is tested in a Simulink/Matlab environment. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, suppression of the chattering phenomenon and robustness of the proposed controller compared to the integer sliding mode control law.