The integration of renewable energy to the utility grid is a steadily rising process. The growth of the renewable energy sector is of great importance in the era of carbon emission reduction and so governments’ energy regulatory authorities have set standards known as ’grid codes’ to assist this process and limit negative impacts of these unpredictable energy sources on the quality of electricity produced. This paper looks at the design and optimization of a 3MW, 18 slot, 16 pole, double layer wound rotor synchronous machine designed for a grid connected wind energy application.