The connection of all wind turbines to the same electrical grid introduces plant-wide dynamics. Wind turbines located in proximity to each other interact aerodynamically via the wind flow. Moreover, each wind turbine constitutes a complex system by itself with aeroelastic, electrical and control dynamics.
Grid codes, ancillary services and maintenance are other examples of requirements that should be considered when operating a wind farm. Some of the control objectives are contradictory, e.g. to continually maximize the power production while simultaneously reducing turbine loading and adapting to the spot electricity price.
SINTEF develops solutions to find the right trade-off and to meet the challenges of wind farm control and operation.
Our research areas and services include:
- Dynamic modelling of wind turbines and wind power plants
- Analysis of system dynamics, control and optimization of wind power plants using STAS, a unified state-space model developed by SINTEF
- Multi-objective wind farm control
- State estimation
- Model-based and predictive control approaches
- Co-optimization of operation and maintenance
- Data-driven modelling and machine learning
Current research projects: