US 11,639,710 B2 · Systems and methods of coordinated yaw control of multiple wind turbines

Abstract

Systems and methods of autonomous farm-level control and optimization of wind turbines are provided. Exemplary embodiments comprise a site controller running on a site server. The site controller collects and analyzes yaw control data of a plurality of wind turbines and wind direction data relating to the plurality of wind turbines. The site server determines collective wind direction across an area occupied by the plurality of wind turbines and sends yaw control signals including desired nacelle yaw position instructions to the plurality of wind turbines. The site controller performs wake modeling analysis and determines desired nacelle positions of one or more of the plurality of wind turbines. The desired nacelle yaw position instructions systematically correct static yaw misalignment for all of the plurality of wind turbines. Embodiments of the disclosure provide means to perform whole site or partial site level controls of the yaw controllers of a utility scale wind turbine farm. The overall effect of the coordinated yaw control of wind turbines across the whole or partial site is intended to keep the wake loss of the wind turbines from the upstream wind turbines to the minimum and to maximize the production of turbines that are not waking other turbines.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method of autonomous farm-level control and optimization of wind turbines comprising:

collecting and analyzing nacelle yaw position data of a plurality of wind turbines;
collecting and analyzing wind direction data across an area occupied by the plurality of wind turbines and determining a collective wind direction across the area;
collecting and analyzing power production data of the plurality of wind turbines;
determining desired nacelle yaw positions of a nacelle of one or more of the plurality of wind turbines from a collective yaw optimization of the plurality of wind turbines based upon analysis of the nacelle yaw position data, wind direction data, and power production data;
and
sending nacelle yaw position instructions to the plurality of wind turbines such that the wind turbines move dynamically and each wind turbine aligns its nacelle to its respective desired nacelle yaw position, thereby improving performance of the plurality of wind turbines as a function of time.

3 more elements

An autonomous system for improving energy extraction of a plurality of wind turbines, comprising:

a site controller running on a site server, the site controller collecting and analyzing nacelle yaw position data of a plurality of wind turbines and wind direction data relating to the plurality of wind turbines, the site server determining collective wind direction across an area occupied by the plurality of wind turbines, determining desired nacelle yaw positions of a nacelle of one or more of the plurality of wind turbines from a collective yaw optimization of the plurality of wind turbines based upon analysis of the nacelle yaw position data, wind direction data, and power production data, and sending yaw control signals including desired nacelle yaw positions to the plurality of wind turbines such that the wind turbines move dynamically and each wind turbine aligns its nacelle to its respective desired nacelle yaw position to improve performance of the plurality of wind turbines as a function of time.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems and methods of coordinated yaw control of multiple wind turbines

Life of this patent

Systems and methods of coordinated yaw control of multiple wind turbines

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24