In the entirety of this project, a power converter is modeled, simulated, designed, and optimized to convert a three-phase AC wind turbine source to charge DC lead-acid batteries, applying new control techniques and an innqvative design to produce the most energy from the small wind turbine. The converter will implement new approaches to power factor correction and maximum power point tracking to capture the most energy under any operating conditions of the wind turbine. Overwind conditions will be protected against using the converter's ability to slow the turbine instead of usual resistive loads or mechanical braking. Other techniques to protect the batteries and the converter will be discussed in the scope of this paper. Through testing the designed converter, supporting evidence is shown whether the topology and control techniques are beneficial by comparing the degree of effectiveness of each method. The goal is to prove that these methods will provide a significant increase in energy converted.