Controlling a wind power plant based on operating commands received from a distributed system across a communications network

A distributed system comprising a plurality of subsystems that are in communication via a communications network, the plurality of subsystems including a first subsystem associated with a wind power plant and a plurality of second subsystems each associated with a respective party capable of issuing requests for the wind power plant to operate in accordance with defined operating commands, the distributed system being configured to:

• at one of the second subsystems:
• generate a request to operate the wind power plant in accordance with a defined operating command desired by the party associated with said second subsystem;
• and,
• transmit the request from said second subsystem to each of the plurality of subsystems other than said second subsystem via the communications network;
• at each of the second subsystems other than said second subsystem:
• receive the request from said second subsystem;
• perform an approval process to determine whether to approve the received request;
• and,
• when an outcome of the approval process is to approve the request, transmit the approval to each of the plurality of subsystems via the communications network;
• at each of the plurality of subsystems:
• receive the respective approval from each of the plurality of second subsystems that approves the request;
• and,
• store, in a database of the respective subsystem, the respective approval for each of the plurality of second subsystems that approves the request;
• and,
• cause the wind power plant to be controlled in dependence on which of the second subsystems has approved the request, wherein at least one of the second subsystems other than said second subsystem needs to have approved the request, based on the database of the first subsystem, prior to the wind power plant being controlled to operate in accordance with the defined operating command.

A system, comprising:

• a wind power plant, comprising a plurality of wind turbines;
• and
• a distributed system, comprising a plurality of subsystems that are in communication via a communications network, the plurality of subsystems including a first subsystem associated with a wind power plant and a plurality of second subsystems each associated with a respective party capable of issuing requests for the wind power plant to operate in accordance with defined operating commands, the distributed system being configured to:
• at one of the second subsystems:
• generate a request to operate the wind power plant in accordance with a defined operating command desired by the party associated with said second subsystem;
• and
• transmit the request from said second subsystem to each of the plurality of subsystems other than said second subsystem via the communications network;
• at each of the second subsystems other than said second subsystem:
• receive the request from said second subsystem;
• perform an approval process to determine whether to approve the received request;
• and
• when an outcome of the approval process is to approve the request, transmit the approval to each of the plurality of subsystems via the communications network;
• at each of the plurality of subsystems:
• receive the respective approval from each of the plurality of second subsystems that approves the request;
• and
• store, in a database of the respective subsystem, the respective approval for each of the plurality of second subsystems that approves the request;
• and
• cause the wind power plant to be controlled in dependence on which of the second subsystems has approved the request, wherein at least one of the second subsystems other than said second subsystem needs to have approved the request, based on the database of the first subsystem, prior to the wind power plant being controlled to operate in accordance with the defined operating command.