Gastvortrag an der Universität Freiburg am 15.6. zum Thema "Industrial Practice of Wind Energy Control"

Wind energy converters (WECs) are mechatronic products. They couldn’t operate without the action of a sophisticated controller. This is necessitated by recent operational requirements that go far beyond a fixed schedule for rotational speed and generator torque according to the prevailing wind situation. Furthermore, modern controllers adjust all available actuators not only for maximum power production but also to reduce loads on the structure of the turbine which in turn enables the design of lighter and therefore more cost efficient components. In this regard, the controller in combination with a holistic mechatronic design approach is a key factor for the cost of energy from modern WECs which is now en-par or below that of traditional power plants. Another aspect of WEC control that will become more and more important as renewable energy production increases towards 100% is the integration into and the support of the electricity grid. The main control-task here is to mitigate the volatility of the available primary energy, the wind, or even to solely determine the amount of produced energy from the demand of the grid.

This talk will give a high-level overview of various aspects surrounding the functions, development process and operation of modern WEC controllers. Starting with a quick look at the history we set the stage to explore the functions and operational maneuvers a modern WEC is capable of. From these, the requirements for the control system can be derived and we can take a closer look at how the requirements translate into the architecture of the controller hard- and software and the measurement instrumentation and means of actuation of the turbine. Finally, we will take a look at the development process and the division of labor that is necessary in order to develop and maintain such a highly complex system of interacting components and functions.