# US 2018/0320667 A1 · A method for assessing performance impact of a power upgrade > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0320667 A1 - Document ID: US20180320667A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/772,793 - Filed: 2016-11-10 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-26 - Assignees: Vestas Wind Systems A/S - Applicants: Vestas Wind Systems A/S - Inventors: Dan BELTOFT; Sven Jesper KNUDSEN; Carsten Krogh NIELSEN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180320667A1 ## CPC - F03D 17/00: Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics (testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30) - F03D 7/046: {with learning or adaptive control, e.g. self-tuning, fuzzy logic or neural network} - F03D 7/048: {controlling wind farms} - F05B 2230/80: Repairing, retrofitting or upgrading methods - F05B 2260/821: Parameter estimation or prediction - F05B 2260/83: Testing, e.g. methods, components or tools therefor - F05B 2270/32: Wind speeds - F05B 2270/335: Output power or torque - F05B 2270/504: electronic means, e.g. electronic tubes, transistors or IC's within an electronic circuit - Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - F03D: WIND MOTORS - 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 - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Assessing performance impact of a power upgrade of one or more wind turbines of a wind farm that includes a group of target wind turbines and a group of reference wind turbines. For each of the target wind turbines, a transfer function is generated, establishing a relationship between the locally measured wind speed at the target wind turbine and locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines. A power upgrade is performed on each of the target wind turbines, and subsequently power performance data is obtained for the reference wind turbines and the target wind turbines, within one or more wind speed intervals. For the target wind turbines, the wind speed intervals are based on estimated wind speeds, based on locally measured wind speeds at the reference wind turbines and the transfer functions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for assessing performance impact of a power upgrade of one or more wind turbines of a wind farm, the method comprising: dividing at least some of the wind turbines of the wind farm into a group of target wind turbines and a group of reference wind turbines, operating the wind turbines of the wind farm, while obtaining locally measured wind speeds at each of the wind turbines, for each of the target wind turbines, generating a transfer function establishing a relationship between the locally measured wind speed at the target wind turbine and the locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines, performing a power upgrade of each of the target wind turbines, operating the wind turbines of the wind farm, while obtaining locally measured wind speeds, at least at the reference wind turbines, obtaining power performance data for each of the reference wind turbines, within one or more wind speed intervals, based on locally measured wind speeds at the reference wind turbines, obtaining power performance data for each of the target wind turbines, within the one or more wind speed intervals, based on estimated wind speeds obtained by means of locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines and the previously generated transfer functions for each of the target wind turbines, comparing the obtained power performance data for the reference wind turbines and for the target wind turbines, and assessing a performance impact of the power upgrade, based on the comparison. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein performing a power upgrade comprises performing a hardware upgrade and/or a software upgrade of the target wind turbines. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein generating a transfer function comprises training a learning algorithm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein generating a transfer function is performed using a linear regression method. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the group of target wind turbines comprises at least two target wind turbines and/or the group of reference wind turbines comprises at least two reference wind turbines. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the group of target wind turbines and the group of reference wind turbines in combination includes substantially all of the wind turbines of the wind farm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the number of target wind turbines is substantially equal to the number of reference wind turbines. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the target wind turbines and the reference wind turbines are spatially distributed among each other within the wind farm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the estimated wind speeds, obtained by means of locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines and the previously generated transfer functions, are obtained using a synthesis function reducing the estimates for each reference wind turbine to each target wind turbine to one estimate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, wherein the synthesis function is an average or a weighted average per wind speed interval. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising, for each of the target wind turbines, generating a power transfer function establishing a relationship between the obtained power performance data of the target wind turbine and the power performance data of each of the reference wind turbines. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining power performance data for the reference wind turbines comprises obtaining annual energy production data for the reference wind turbines and/or the step of obtaining power performance data for the target wind turbines comprises obtaining annual energy production data for the target wind turbines. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein generating a transfer function comprises generating transfer functions for one or more wind direction sectors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising the stop of combining power performance data from two or more target wind turbines, thereby increasing statistical strength of the assessment of performance impact of the power upgrade. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein performing a power upgrade of each of the target wind turbines comprises performing a first power upgrade of a first target wind turbine and performing a second power upgrade of a second target wind turbine, the first power upgrade being of a different type than the second power upgrade. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising performing the power upgrade on each of the reference wind turbines in the case that the stop of assessing the performance impact of the power upgrade reveals that the power upgrade results in an improvement of the performance of the target wind turbines. ### Claim 17 A program product comprising a computer readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform an operation, comprising: obtaining locally measured wind speeds at each of a plurality of wind turbines during operation of the plurality of wind turbines; wherein the plurality of wind turbines include a group of target wind turbines and a group of reference wind turbines; for the target wind turbines, generating a transfer function establishing a relationship between the locally measured wind speed at the target wind turbine and the locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines; after performing a power upgrade of each of the target wind turbines: obtaining locally measured wind speeds, at least at the reference wind turbines; obtaining power performance data for each of the reference wind turbines within one or more wind speed intervals, based on the locally measured wind speeds at the reference wind turbines; obtaining power performance data for each of the target wind turbines within the one or more wind speed intervals, based on estimated wind speeds obtained from locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines and the previously generated transfer functions for each of the target wind turbines; comparing the obtained power performance data for the reference wind turbines and for the target wind turbines; and assessing a performance impact of the power upgrade, based on the comparison. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The program product of claim 17, wherein generating the transfer function comprises one of: training a learning algorithm and using a linear regression method. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The program product of claim 17, wherein the estimated wind speeds, obtained from the locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines and the previously generated transfer functions, are obtained using a synthesis function reducing the estimates for each reference wind turbine to each target wind turbine to one estimate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The program product of claim 17, the operation further comprising combining power performance data from two or more target wind turbines, thereby increasing statistical strength of the assessment of performance impact of the power upgrade.