This article presents a simple grid interactive system that extracts maximum power from a wind-driven permanent magnet synchronous generator using an integrated cascade boost converter and a three-phase line-commutated inverter. The firing angle of the line-commutated inverter is held constant at an appropriate value that provides a constant DC-link voltage, and only DC-link current is sensed for maximum power point tracking. For wide wind variation, maximum power from the permanent magnet synchronous generator is achieved using a simple load current (DC-link current) perturb and observe maximum power point tracking technique. This is obtained by varying the duty ratio of the integrated cascade boost converter with an adaptive incremental step that varies the load on the permanent magnet synchronous generator in accordance with changing wind. Experiments have been conducted on a 3-phase, 750-W, 500-rpm laboratory size permanent magnet synchronous generator. The operation and analysis of the proposed topology with a fixed firing angle for a line-commutated inverter is presented. The results obtained from MATLAB (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA) simulation are verified with experimental results, and a close correlation has been found, proving the efficacy of the system. © 2015 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.