# US 10,865,774 B2 · Wind turbine control method and system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,774 B2 - Document ID: US10865774B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/323,117 - Filed: 2017-06-15 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-09 - Assignees: Mhi Vestas Offshore A/S - Applicants: Mhi Vestas Offshore Wind A/S - Inventors: Tue Hald; Alex Pericleous; Henrik Bæk Jørgensen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865774B2 ## CPC - F03D 7/048: {controlling wind farms} - F03D 7/028: {controlling wind motor output power} - F03D 7/0284: {in relation to the state of the electric grid} - F03D 9/257: {the wind motor being part of a wind farm} - H02J 3/38: Arrangements for feeding a single network from two or more generators or sources in parallel; Arrangements for feeding already energised networks from additional generators or sources in parallel - H02J 3/381: {Dispersed generators} - H02J 3/46: Controlling the sharing of generated power between the generators, sources or networks - F03D 1/00: Wind motors with rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor (controlling thereof F03D7/02) - F05B 2220/30: in turbines - F05B 2260/40: Transmission of power - F05B 2260/80: Diagnostics - F05B 2270/1033: Power (if explicitly mentioned) - F05B 2270/332: Maximum loads or fatigue criteria - F05B 2270/335: Output power or torque - F05B 2270/337: Electrical grid status parameters, e.g. voltage, frequency or power demand - F05B 2270/402: passive or reactive, e.g. using large wind vanes - H02J 2101/28: Wind energy - Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction - Y02E 10/76: Power conversion electric or electronic aspects - F03D: WIND MOTORS - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A method for controlling a wind power plant including a plurality of wind turbines that provide output power through a transmission line arrangement, wherein each wind turbine in the wind power plant has a nominal power limit setting. The method comprises determining spare capacity on the transmission line arrangement; and configuring one or more of the wind turbines in dependence on the determined spare capacity, such that said wind turbines are operable to exceed their respective nominal power limit setting in order to exploit the spare capacity on the transmission line arrangement. Aspects of the invention also relate to a power plant controller configured to implement the method. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling a wind power plant including a plurality of wind turbines that provide an output power through a transmission line arrangement, wherein each wind turbine in the wind power plant has a nominal power limit setting, wherein the method comprises: determining a spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement, wherein determining the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement comprises comparing a measured power on the transmission line arrangement against a value of maximum transmission capacity of the transmission line arrangement; and configuring one or more wind turbines of the wind power plant to exceed the respective nominal power limit setting to increase the output power to within the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the one or more wind turbines comprises: commanding selected ones of the one or more wind turbines to exceed their respective nominal power limit setting during appropriate wind conditions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein commanding the selected ones of the one or more wind turbines comprises: transmitting a margin value to the selected ones of the one or more wind turbines, the margin value indicating the amount by which the respective nominal power limit setting may be exceeded. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the margin value is determined as the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement divided by a number of wind turbines of the wind power plant that are in an operating condition. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the one or more wind turbines comprises: providing a new nominal power limit setting to each wind turbine of the one or more wind turbines. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein providing the new nominal power limit setting comprises: transmitting the new nominal power limit setting over a communication network. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein providing the new nominal power limit setting comprises: providing a plurality of new nominal power limit settings using an iterative process. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the new nominal power setting limit is calculated as the spare capacity of the transmission live arrangement divided by a number of wind turbines of the wind power plant that are in an operating condition. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein configuring the one or more wind turbines comprises: identifying one or more wind turbines of the wind power plant that are affected by wakes of one or more other wind turbines of the wind power plant; and providing new nominal power limit setting values to one or more of the identified one or more wind turbines. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the nominal power limit setting of the wind turbines is a rated power setting. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum transmission capacity varies with environmental conditions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the measured power is at least one of measured apparent power, measured active power, or measured reactive power. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the measured power on the transmission line is filtered to account for short-term variations in power production. ### Claim 14 A power plant controller comprising at least a processor, a memory module, and an input/output system, and wherein the memory module includes a set of program code instructions which when executed by the processor, implements an operation of controlling a wind power plant including a plurality of wind turbines that provide an output power through a transmission line arrangement, wherein each wind turbine in the wind power plant has a nominal power limit setting, the operation comprising: determining a spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement, wherein determining the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement comprises comparing a measured power on the transmission line arrangement against a value of maximum transmission capacity of the transmission line arrangement; and configuring one or more wind turbines of the wind power plant to exceed the respective nominal power limit setting to increase the output power to within the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The power plant controller of claim 14, wherein the input/output system is coupled to the plurality of wind turbines. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The power plant controller of claim 14, wherein configuring the one or more wind turbines comprises: commanding selected ones of the one or more wind turbines to exceed their respective nominal power limit setting during appropriate wind conditions. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The power plant controller of claim 16, wherein commanding the selected ones of the one or more wind turbines comprises: transmitting a margin value to the selected ones of the one or more wind turbines, the margin value indicating the amount by which the respective nominal power limit setting may be exceeded. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The power plant controller of claim 17, wherein the margin value is determined as the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement divided by a number of wind turbines of the wind power plant that are in an operating condition. ### Claim 19 A computer program product stored on a machine readable medium, the computer program product comprising program code instructions for implementing an operation of controlling a wind power plant including a plurality of wind turbines that provide an output power through a transmission line arrangement, wherein each wind turbine in the wind power plant has a nominal power limit setting, the operation comprising: determining a spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement, wherein determining the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement comprises comparing a measured power on the transmission line arrangement against a value of maximum transmission capacity of the transmission line arrangement; and configuring one or more wind turbines of the wind power plant to exceed the respective nominal power limit setting to increase the output power to within the spare capacity of the transmission line arrangement.