This paper analyses the electrodynamic braking (EDB) performance of a grid connected wind energy conversion system, during a grid loss. A dual pole induction generator driven by a fixed speed wind turbine is considered for the present study. The modeling of the wind turbine-induction generator unit, with the excitation capacitor C and braking resistor R, at the generator terminals is presented. Through simulation, the steady state as well as the dynamic performance of the system is studied for different R-C combinations. The experimental results on a 1.5 kW induction machine confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the EDB. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.