A small wind power system (SWPS), which comprises a buck-type DC/DC converter and a microcomputer control unit, is presented for improving its reliability and energy conversion efficiency. The relationship between energy flows for the suggested SWPS is analyzed, and the transition diagram of energy flows under various working modes is established. An integrated power control method is put forward that contains maximum power point tracking, load power tracking control, over speed protection, and optimization of battery management. A power controller which is based on the integrated power control strategy is designed, and its performance is tested on the experimental platform for SWPS. Experimental results indicate that the controller can switch on automatically working modes to maintain the energy balance of the proposed SWPS under the conditions of variable wind speeds or loads. Moreover, the wind turbine can utilize wind energy efficiently at the premise of secure operation, and the battery life can be prolonged on condition of reasonable energy management. Therefore, the suggested integrated power control method in this paper can make the SWPS to obtain optimal and reliable operation. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.