Research facility with gondola-based LiDAR (Photo: Marcel Schedat)
Project description
This research project develops new flexible operation strategies that enable existing wind energy turbines an improved operation under current and future circumstances.
For this purpose, operation concepts are developed which operate in the time range of minutes as well as control strategies which react in the time range of seconds. The focus is on the integration of the current energy price, a lidar-based wind forecast and a load monitoring into the operation management and control. For the provision and processing of additional information, important research questions are answered:
- How can wind forecasting be improved with the latest simulation methods?
- How can load monitoring models be applied to turbines of the same type?
- How can lidar measurements assist in load verification?
On the other hand, this information and data-based control should result in lifetime extension, increase of energy yield, reduction of noise emissions and support of the electrical grid. To accomplish this, the following important research questions will be answered for improving the operation of existing turbines:
- How can optimal feedforward control be combined with existing control?
- How can wind forecasting be used to reduce noise emissions and support the electrical grid?
- How can knowledge of energy prices and load monitoring be used to keep existing turbines to operate as long as economically possible?
- How can modern control strategies be applied to existing turbines?
The developed operating strategies will be tested on three wind turbines during the research project (power classes: 2 MW and 6 MW). For this purpose, existing infrastructure will be built upon and a representative and unique test environment for existing turbines will be created. Another aim of the project is to prepare the research results in such a way that they can be quickly implemented in the industry. This will be achieved on the one hand by close cooperation of the research institutes with leading industrial partners already during the project, and on the other hand by a planned transfer of the research results and tools on a national and international level.
