Method of operating a hybrid power plant to optimize PV power output

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of controlling the operation of a wind turbine generator (WTG) in a hybrid power plant including both WTGs and PV modules. The method comprises the steps of: monitoring at least one operating parameter of one or more of the WTGs; monitoring at least one operating parameter of one or more of the PV modules; and controlling the operation of the WTGs according to the monitored operating parameters to control blade shadows cast by the WTGs on the PV modules, thereby optimizing the power output of the PV modules, for example, by reducing the blade shadow area cast on the PV modules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method of operating a hybrid power plant comprising a wind turbine generator (WTG) and a PV (photovoltaic) module subject to blade shading, wherein the WTG is controlled to optimize the power output of the PV module. Background Art

[0002] A wind / solar hybrid power plant includes a combination of a wind turbine generator (WTG) and a PV module that is configured to supply electricity to an external power transmission network or grid. By including both the WTG and the PV module in a single power plant, the amount of renewable energy that can be generated by the power plant can be increased and more reliable power generation can be provided under a range of operating conditions. However, when the PV module is positioned close to the WTG in a hybrid power plant, the PV module may be affected by the shadow cast by the WTG, including the static shadow cast by the WTG tower and the moving or flickering shadow cast by the blades of the WTG rotor.

[0003] WTG shadows cast on PV modules can cause several disadvantages. For example, tower shadows and blade shadows may reduce the amount of light falling on the PV modules, thereby reducing the total PV power output. In addition, the moving blade shadows may also cause suboptimal functioning of the maximum power point tracking system of the PV modules, further reducing the total PV power output. In addition, the uneven loading of the PV modules due to different shading conditions caused by tower shadows and blade shadows at different locations may cause accelerated degradation of the PV modules.

[0004] One solution to these problems is to place the PV modules in locations that are not affected by the shadowing of the WTGs. However, this solution typically requires reducing the number of PV modules in the power plant and / or increasing the area of ​​the power plant.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of known wind / solar hybrid power plants. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a hybrid power plant is provided, the hybrid power plant comprising at least one WTG and at least one PV module, wherein at least one of the PV modules is located at a position within the hybrid power plant affected by blade shadows, the method comprising: monitoring at least one operating parameter of one or more of the WTGs; monitoring at least one operating parameter of one or more of the PV modules; and controlling the operation of the WTGs based on the monitored operating parameters to control the blade shadows projected by the WTGs on the PV modules, thereby optimizing the power output of the PV modules.

[0007] By taking into account the effect of blade shadows cast by the WTGs on the PV modules (e.g., by reducing the area of ​​blade shadows on the PV modules) when controlling the operation of the WTGs, the power output of the PV modules can be maximized while also minimizing WTG production losses. Thus, the present invention allows the combined power output of the hybrid power plant (including WTG power output and PV power output) to be increased over a wider range of operating conditions than would be achieved if the WTGs were conventionally controlled to optimize and / or maximize WTG power output without taking into account the effect of blade shadows on the power output of the PV modules.

[0008] It will be understood that throughout this specification, all references to a reduction in blade shadow area and an increase in combined power output or PV power output are references to a reduction in blade shadow area and an increase in combined power output or PV power output compared to a situation where the WTG is controlled in a conventional manner to optimize and / or maximize WTG power output without taking into account the effects of blade shadowing on the power output of the PV module.

[0009] It will also be understood that controlling the operation of the WTG to optimize the power output of the PV modules does not necessarily mean controlling the WTG in a manner that reduces the blade shading area on the PV modules to the smallest possible level in order to be able to increase the power output of the PV modules to the highest possible level, which would typically require the WTG to be stopped or operated in a highly compromised manner that would typically result in a reduction in the combined power output. Instead, it means that the WTG (when appropriate) will be operated in a manner that the negative effects of blade shading on the PV modules are reduced so that the power output of the PV modules can be increased to an optimal level while still maintaining an acceptable power output from the WTG, thereby allowing the combined power output of the hybrid power plant to be optimized and / or maximized.

[0010] A hybrid power plant may generally include any number of WTGs in any suitable location. A hybrid power plant may also include any number of PV modules in any suitable location, including locations around and / or between any one or more of the WTGs. As described above, at least one of the PV modules is in a location subject to blade shading. It will be understood that a location subject to blade shading refers to any location within the hybrid power plant that experiences shadow flicker caused by the blades of at least one of the WTGs for at least a portion of a day.

[0011] Each PV module may include one or more PV cells, which may be connected in series or in parallel with each other. In some cases, each PV module may include a single independent PV cell unit. In other cases, each PV module may be formed of multiple individual units, which may be connected in series or in parallel with each other. Therefore, the term "PV module" should not be interpreted as limiting the number of PV cells or the manner in which the PV cells are connected.

[0012] The monitored operating parameters of the WTGs used to control the operation of the WTGs may include any one or more of the following: wind speed, wind direction, and / or wind turbulence at one or more locations; power output of one or more of the WTGs; blade loads at one or more of the WTGs; cable losses at one or more of the WTGs; and operating status of one or more of the WTGs (e.g., whether the WTG is currently in operation or offline). In some embodiments, noise constraints on the operation of the WTGs may also be considered when controlling the operation of the WTGs to optimize the power output of the PV modules.

[0013] The operating parameters of the monitored PV modules used to control the operation of the WTG may include any one or more of the following: light conditions (e.g., solar irradiance) at one or more locations within the hybrid power plant; light conditions (e.g., solar irradiance) at one or more reference locations outside the influence range of the WTG's shadow; solar position; time; date; power output of one or more of the PV modules; current or voltage of one or more of the PV modules; cable loss of one or more of the PV modules; and operating status of one or more of the PV modules (e.g., whether the PV string is currently in operation or offline). It will be understood that the operating parameters of the PV modules can be monitored at the string, station, or section level, rather than monitoring each PV module individually.

[0014] The WTGs may be controlled based on the output of a shadow tracking system configured to determine blade shadows cast by the rotor of one or more of the WTGs. The shadow tracking system may be configured to measure, calculate and / or predict blade shadows cast by the rotor of one or more of the WTGs using an algorithm or lookup table, for example based on any one or more of the layout of the hybrid power plant, operating parameters of one or more of the WTGs (including yaw angle and / or pitch angle), measured light conditions, sun position, time and date. The shadow tracking system may be an online system configured to determine blade shadows based on measured light conditions in combination with operational data associated with the WTGs. However, the shadow tracking system may alternatively or additionally be capable of determining blade shadows based on time and date or sun position in combination with operational data associated with the WTGs without access to measured light conditions.

[0015] The WTGs may be controlled based on a shadow assessment at hybrid power plant level.It will be understood that a shadow assessment at hybrid power plant level refers to an assessment of the distribution of shadows cast by the WTGs on the PV modules over the hybrid power plant as a whole.

[0016] The WTGs may be controlled depending on the layout of the hybrid power plant. For example, the WTGs may be controlled depending on the position of the PV modules relative to the WTGs to account for different PV module arrangements around different WTGs. Information related to the layout of the hybrid power plant (e.g., a model of the hybrid power plant) may be stored in a database (e.g., a database of a power plant controller). Information related to the layout of the hybrid power plant may include the position and size of the WTGs and PV modules. The position of the PV modules may be defined relative to the hybrid power plant, or alternatively relative to one or more of the WTGs.

[0017] The WTGs may be controlled individually and / or in groups to account for different operating conditions at different WTGs and / or the location of nearby PV modules relative to each WTG. However, in some cases, the same control strategy may be applied to each WTG in a hybrid power plant to simplify the control of the hybrid power plant.

[0018] The step of controlling the operation of the WTGs may include: determining whether performing a particular WTG control operation will increase or decrease the combined WTG and PV power output of the hybrid power plant; and performing the WTG control operation if it is determined that doing so will increase the combined WTG and PV power output of the hybrid power plant. The WTG control operation may, for example, include: changing the nacelle yaw angle and / or blade pitch angle of one or more of the WTGs; and / or stopping one or more of the WTGs to optimize the power output of the PV modules by reducing the shadow area cast by the rotor of the one or more WTGs on the PV modules.

[0019] The steps of controlling the operation of the WTG may include: determining a predicted increase in PV power output and a predicted decrease in WTG power output associated with performing a specific WTG control operation; comparing the predicted increase in PV power output with the predicted decrease in WTG power output; and performing the WTG control operation if the predicted increase in PV power output is greater than the predicted decrease in WTG power output.

[0020] The step of controlling the operation of the WTGs may include controlling a nacelle yaw angle of one or more of the WTGs to optimize the power output of the PV modules.

[0021] The step of controlling the operation of the WTGs may include controlling the blade pitch angle of one or more of the WTGs to optimize the power output of the PV modules.

[0022] The nacelle yaw angle set point and / or the blade pitch angle set point may be calculated by a power plant controller. In this case, the calculated set points may be transmitted from the power plant controller to the controller of the WTG, which may then control the operation of the WTG based on the set points received from the power plant controller. It will be understood that the power plant controller is a control system provided in addition to a separate WTG controller that is configured to manage the operation of the WTG (and optionally also the PV module); and the power plant controller may be located at any suitable location within and / or outside the hybrid power plant.

[0023] Alternatively or additionally, the nacelle yaw angle setpoint and / or the blade pitch angle setpoint may be calculated by the WTG controller of the corresponding WTG. In some cases, each WTG may be provided with its own dedicated controller, which may be configured to calculate the nacelle yaw angle setpoint and the blade pitch angle setpoint of the WTG, although in some cases, two or more WTGs may share a common WTG controller, which may be configured to calculate the nacelle yaw angle setpoint and / or the blade pitch angle setpoint for each of the WTGs associated with the WTG controller.

[0024] The step of controlling the operation of the WTGs may include stopping one or more of the WTGs to optimize the power output of the PV modules.

[0025] The step of controlling the operation of the WTGs may include moving one or more WTGs that have been stopped (e.g., because the wind speed is below the cut-in speed, or because it has been determined that the combined power output of the hybrid power plant will be increased by stopping one or more of the WTGs) into a configuration in which blade shadows cast by the WTG on nearby PV modules are reduced and / or minimized. The minimum shadow configuration may be calculated based on any one or more of WTG position, WTG size, sun position, time, date, and may be set individually for each WTG taking into account the relative positions of nearby PV modules.

[0026] The method may further comprise detecting incoming wind and setting the stopped one or more WTGs for cut-in in dependence on the detection of the incoming wind.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a controller configured to control the operation of a hybrid power plant according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.

[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program downloadable from a communications network and / or stored on a machine-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program code instructions for implementing the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0029] It is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set forth in the preceding paragraphs, claims and / or the following description and drawings (particularly their individual features) may be used independently or in any combination within the scope of this application. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment may be combined in any manner and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. Applicants reserve the right to change any originally filed claim or to file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to make it subordinate to any other claim and / or to combine any features of any other claim, even though the rights were not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 A simplified diagram of a portion of a hybrid power plant according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown;

[0032] Figure 2 Schematically shows Figure 1 A wind turbine generator of the hybrid power plant shown; and

[0033] Figure 3 Schematically shows Figure 2 The wind turbine generator control system and power generation / converter system are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Figure 1 A simplified diagram of a part of a hybrid power plant (HPP) 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is schematically shown. The HPP 1 is connected to an external electricity transmission network or main grid 100. The main grid 100 may be a regional, national or international electricity transmission network (eg the UK National Grid).

[0035] The HPP 1 includes a plurality of wind turbine generators (WTGs) 10 and a section 51 of a plurality of PV modules 50. Each of the WTGs 10 and the PV modules 50 is connected to a local grid 2 of the HPP 1 and is configured to generate active power to be supplied to a main grid 100 via the local grid 2 for distribution. The local grid 2 is connected to the main grid 100 at a point of interconnection (PoI) 4 via a main step-up transformer 5 and a PoI bus 6.

[0036] To keep it simple, Figure 1Only a single WTG 10 and a single PV section 51 are shown, both connected to a single collector bus 3 of the local grid 2. However, it will be appreciated that the HPP 1 may include any desired number of WTGs 10 and any desired number of PV sections 51, and the local grid 2 may include any suitable number of collector buses in any suitable arrangement. For example, the HPP 1 may include multiple collector buses connected to one or more intermediate voltage buses.

[0037] Figure 2 A typical WTG 10 of a HPP 1 is schematically shown. Figure 2 The WTG 10 shown is a horizontal axis WTG comprising a tower 11, a nacelle 12 and a rotor 13 comprising a hub 14 and three blades 15. The following description relates to Figure 2 The WTG 10 is shown, but it will be appreciated that other WTGs 10 of the HPP 1 may have the same or similar features and be connected to the local grid 2 of the HPP 1 in a similar manner.

[0038] Figure 3 Schematically shows Figure 2 The control system and power generation / converter system of the WTG 10 shown may be partially or completely located within the nacelle 12 of the WTG 10. Figure 3 As shown, the WTG 10 includes a generator 20, which is driven by a rotor 13 via a transmission 21, which may optionally include a gearbox. The generator 20 is connected to a WTG converter 22, which is configured to convert the output frequency of the generator 20 into a frequency suitable for supplying to the main grid 100. The WTG converter 22 includes: a generator-side AC-DC converter 22a; a DC link 22b, which includes a smoothing capacitor and a chopper system for dissipating excess power; and a grid-side DC-AC converter 22c. The WTG converter 22 is connected to the collector bus 3 via a WTG feeder 25, through which the active power is fed to the local grid 2.

[0039] Or Figure 3 As shown, the WTG 10 further includes a nacelle yaw angle control system 35 and a blade pitch angle control system 36. The yaw angle control system 35 includes at least one actuator configured to control the yaw angle of the nacelle 12 of the WTG 10 by rotating the nacelle 12 relative to the tower 11. The pitch angle control system 36 includes at least one actuator configured to control the pitch angle of the blades 15 of the WTG 10.

[0040] Or Figure 3As shown, the WTG 10 includes a WTG controller 30 that communicates with a power plant controller (PPC) 7 of the HPP 1. The WTG controller 30 is configured to monitor and control the operation of the WTG 10 in accordance with instructions received from the PPC 7. In the present embodiment, each WTG 10 is provided with its own dedicated WTG controller 30, although it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, two or more WTGs 10 may share a common semi-centralized WTG controller, in which case there may be fewer WTG controllers 30 than WTGs 10.

[0041] The WTG controller 30 is in communication with the WTG converter 22 and is configured to control the operation of the AC-DC converter 22a, the smoothing capacitor and chopper system 22b, and the grid-side DC-AC converter 22c. The WTG controller 30 is also in communication with a yaw angle control system 35 and a pitch angle control system 36 and is configured to operate the yaw angle control system 35 and the pitch angle control system 36 so as to control the nacelle yaw angle and blade pitch angle of the WTG 10 according to the yaw angle and pitch angle set points, which may be calculated by the WTG controller 30 or alternatively received from the PPC 7 (as described in more detail below).

[0042] As mentioned above, Figure 1 Only a single PV segment 51 is shown, although the HPP 1 may include any desired number of PV segments 51. The following description relates to Figure 1 The PV segment 51 is shown, but it will be understood that other PV segments 51 of the HPP 1 may have the same or similar features and be connected to the local grid 2 of the HPP 1 in a similar manner.

[0043] The PV section 51 includes a plurality of PV stands. Each PV stand includes a support structure to which a plurality of PV units or modules 50 are mounted. Each PV module 50 in turn includes a plurality of PV cells. The PV modules 50 are arranged in strings, each of which is connected to a PV converter 52a, 52b, which is configured to convert the DC output of its respective string into AC having a frequency suitable for supply to the main grid 100. The PV converters 52a, 52b are connected to the collector bus 3 via PV feeders 55a, 55b, through which active power is fed to the local grid 2.

[0044] The PV converters 52a, 52b communicate with the PPC 7 and are configured to monitor and control the operation of the PV module 50 according to instructions received from the PPC 7. The PV converters 52a, 52b may be configured to use a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm to control the operation of the PV module 50. The PV converters 52a, 52b are provided separately to the WTG converter 22 and operate independently of the WTG converter, although in some cases some power conversion and transmission hardware may be shared between the PV module 50 and the WTG 10.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, the PV section 51 is located near the WTG 10, which is affected by shadows (including blade shadows) cast by the WTG 10. Therefore, the PV modules 50 of the PV section 51 are affected by shadow flicker during at least a portion of the day, which generally results in reduced PV power output and accelerated PV degradation compared to PV modules that are not affected by shadow flicker.

[0046] As described above, the HPP 1 includes a power plant controller (PPC) 7 that communicates with the controllers of the WTG 10 and the PV module 50. The PPC 7 is configured to serve as a command and control interface between the HPP 1 and the main grid 100, and more specifically as a command and control interface between the HPP 1 and the grid operator or transmission system operator (TSO) 101. The PPC 7 includes a memory module 7a and a processing module 7b. The memory module 7a is configured to store information related to the HPP 1 (including a model of the layout of the HPP 1, the model including the location and size of the WTG 10 and the location of the PV module 50 relative to the WTG 10). The memory module 7a is also configured to store instructions for managing the operation of the HPP 1. The processing module 7b is configured to control the operation of the WTG 10 and the PV section 51 according to the instructions stored by the memory module 7b and the instructions received directly from the TSO 101 or via SCADA to ensure that the HPP 1 operates correctly and complies with the operating requirements of the main grid 100.

[0047] The PPC 7 is connected to the HPP 1 at various measurement points where various operating parameters (such as power output, current and voltage) can be measured for different parts of the HPP 1. For example, the PPC 7 is connected to a WTG measurement point 26 in the feeder 25 of each WTG 10, at which the PPC 7 is able to monitor the power output of each of the WTGs 10. The PPC 7 is also connected to PV measurement points 56a, 56b in the feeder 55a, 55b of the PV modules, at which the PPC 7 is able to monitor the output of the PV modules (e.g., the output at the string level). The PPC 7 is also connected to an HPP measurement point 8 at or near the PoI bus 6, at which the PPC is able to monitor the power output of the entire HPP 1. It will be appreciated that the above connections may be physical wired connections or alternative wireless connections between the PPC 7 and appropriately positioned sensors.

[0048] The PPC 7 is also connected to various light sensors 9a, 9b for sensing light conditions at various locations around the HPP 1. For example, the PPC 7 is connected to: at least one reference light sensor 9a for sensing light conditions at one or more reference locations outside the influence range of the WTG shadow; and a plurality of HPP light sensors 9b at various locations between PV modules affected by the WTG shadow.

[0049] The PPC 7 is also configured to measure, calculate, estimate or receive information related to other operating parameters of the WTG 10 and the PV module 50, including, for example: wind speed, wind direction and wind turbulence at one or more locations around the HPP 1; blade loading at each of the WTGs; cable losses of each of the WTGs; operating status of each of the WTGs; noise constraints on the operation of the WTGs; sun position; time; date; current and voltage of the PV modules; cable losses of the PV modules; and operating status of the PV modules. Cable losses may be measured directly, or alternatively calculated or estimated. The above operating parameters may be measured, calculated, estimated or received in any suitable manner, examples of which are well known to those skilled in the art. The above operating parameters are all used to control the operation of the HPP 1, as described in more detail below.

[0050] According to one possible embodiment of the invention, the PPC 7 is configured to operate a shadow tracking system 7c capable of determining blade shadows cast by the rotors 13 of the WTGs 10 on the PV modules 50 throughout the HPP 1. The shadow tracking system 7c is configured to calculate the current position of the blade shadows cast by the rotors 13 of the WTGs 10 using a power plant model (which includes the position and size of the WTGs 10 and the position of the PV modules 50 relative to the WTGs 10) and based on various operating parameters of the WTGs 10 and the PV modules 50, including: operating data of the WTGs (including the current nacelle yaw angle and blade pitch angle of each WTG); measured light conditions (determined by light sensors 9a, 9b); sun position; time; and date. The shadow tracking system 7c is an online system configured to determine blade shadows based on real-time measurements of light conditions within the HPP 1, although the shadow tracking system 7c may additionally be capable of determining blade shadows based on time, date and sun position data without access to light condition measurements.

[0051] The PPC 7 is also configured to operate an optimization program 7d that is capable of calculating or predicting WTG and PV power outputs for various different operating states of the HPP 1. The optimization program 7d is configured to calculate or predict WTG and PV power outputs based on the output of the shadow tracking mechanism, and further based on various operating parameters of the WTG 10 and the PV module 50, including: wind speed, wind direction, and wind turbulence within the HPP 1; power output of each of the WTGs; blade loads at each of the WTGs; cable losses of each of the WTGs; operating state of each of the WTGs; noise constraints on WTG operation; sun position; time; date; power output of the PV modules; current and voltage of the PV modules; cable losses of the PV modules; and operating state of the PV modules. The optimization program is capable of determining an expected WTG production loss and an expected PV production gain associated with a particular WTG control operation, and is capable of determining an acceptable WTG production loss, for example, based on an expected PV production gain.

[0052] During operation of the WTG 10, the WTG controller 30 calculates the nacelle yaw angle set point and the blade pitch angle set point of their respective WTG 10 based on the measured wind conditions, the measured blade loads and the demand signal received from the PPC 7. In this way, the WTG controller 30 ensures that the WTG 10 generates sufficient active power and reactive power and is not subjected to excessive load. However, according to the present invention, the HPP 1 is also configured to take into account the effect of the blade shadow cast by the WTG 10 on the PV module 50 when controlling the operation of the WTG 10, and is configured to control the operation of the WTG 10 to control the blade shadow cast by the WTG 10 on the PV module 50, thereby optimizing the power output of the PV module 50.

[0053] In particular, the PPC 7 is able to determine, based on the output of the shadow tracking system 7c and the optimization program 7d, whether performing a particular control operation (e.g., changing the nacelle yaw angle and / or blade pitch angle of one or more of the WTGs 10, or stopping one or more of the WTGs 10) will result in an increase in the combined WTG and PV power output of the HPP 1. If it is determined that doing so is appropriate, and that doing so will increase the combined WTG and PV power output of the HPP 1, the PPC 7 may send instructions to one or more of the WTGs 10 to perform the specified control operation. The WTG controller 30 of the corresponding WTG 10 then controls the operation of the WTG 10 in real time according to the instructions received from the PPC 7. In this way, the WTG 10 may be operated in a manner such that the negative effects of the blade shadow area and shadow flicker cast on the PV module are reduced (e.g., where the loss of WTG power output associated with operating one or more WTGs 10 in a compromise operating mode may be outweighed by the increase in the associated PV power output).

[0054] The WTGs 10 may be controlled individually or in groups to take into account different operating conditions (such as wind strength and direction at different locations within the HPP 1 , and the location of nearby PV modules 50 relative to each WTG 10 ).

[0055] In the event that one or more of the WTGs 10 have been stopped (e.g. because the wind speed is below the cut-in speed, or because it has been determined that the combined power output of the HPP 1 will be increased by stopping one or more of the WTGs 10), the inactive WTGs 10 may be moved into a minimum shadow configuration in which the nacelle is yawed and the blades pitched to a configuration that results in the smallest possible blade shadow area being cast on nearby PV modules 50. However, if incoming wind is detected, for example by the LIDAR scanning system 9c, the inactive WTGs 10 may be set to cut-in.

[0056] The free converter capacity of the idle or derated WTG 10 can be used to provide reactive power. At the same time, the reactive power contribution of the PV converters 52a, 52b or other WTG converters 22 can be reduced to optimize hardware utilization and distribution losses within the HPP 1.

[0057] The above description relates to one possible embodiment of the present invention. However, it will be understood that many modifications and variations may be made to the above examples within the scope of the appended claims. For example, in other embodiments, different combinations of known, measured or calculated operating parameters of the WTG and the PV module may be used to determine the position of the blade shadow projected by the rotor of the WTG, and / or to control the operation of the WTG to optimize the power output of the PV module. In addition, in other embodiments, the nacelle yaw angle set point and the blade pitch angle set point of the WTG may be calculated by the PPC instead of the WTG controller. In addition, in other embodiments, it may be the WTG controller rather than the PPC that is configured to determine when the WTG control operation should be performed to optimize the power output of the PV module. In this case, each WTG controller may be configured to determine the position of the blade shadow projected by the rotor of its respective WTG, and to determine whether the execution of a particular control operation on the WTG will result in an increase in the combined WTG and PV power output of the HPP. Other variations and modifications will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method of operating a hybrid power plant comprising at least one wind turbine generator and at least one photovoltaic module, wherein: At least one of the photovoltaic modules is located in a location within the hybrid power plant that is affected by blade shading, the method comprising: monitoring at least one operating parameter of one or more of the wind turbine generators, wherein the monitored operating parameters of the wind turbine generators include: wind speed, wind direction, or wind turbulence at one or more locations; power output of one or more of the wind turbine generators; blade loads at one or more of the wind turbine generators; cable losses of one or more of the wind turbine generators; and operating states of one or more of the wind turbine generators; monitoring at least one operating parameter of one or more of the photovoltaic modules, wherein the monitored operating parameters of the photovoltaic modules include: light conditions at one or more locations within the hybrid power plant; light conditions at one or more reference locations outside the influence range of the wind turbine generator shadow; sun position; time; date; power output of one or more of the photovoltaic modules; current or voltage of one or more of the photovoltaic modules; cable loss of one or more of the photovoltaic modules; and operating status of one or more of the photovoltaic modules; and Operation of the wind turbine generator is controlled based on the monitored operating parameters to control blade shadows cast by the wind turbine generator on the photovoltaic modules to optimize power output of the photovoltaic modules.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The wind turbine generators are controlled based on output of a shadow tracking system configured to determine blade shadows cast by a rotor of one or more of the wind turbine generators.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The wind turbine generators are controlled according to the layout of the hybrid power plant.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The wind turbine generators are controlled individually or in groups to take into account different operating conditions at different wind turbine generators or the position of nearby photovoltaic modules relative to each wind turbine generator.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of controlling the operation of the wind turbine generator includes: determining whether performing a particular wind turbine generator control operation will increase or decrease the combined wind turbine generator and photovoltaic power output of the hybrid power plant; and performing the wind turbine generator control operation if it is determined that doing so will increase the combined wind turbine generator and photovoltaic power output of the hybrid power plant.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of controlling the operation of the wind turbine generators includes controlling a nacelle yaw angle of one or more of the wind turbine generators to optimize power output of the photovoltaic modules.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of controlling the operation of the wind turbine generators includes controlling a blade pitch angle of one or more of the wind turbine generators to optimize power output of the photovoltaic modules.

8. The method according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein: The nacelle yaw angle setpoint or the blade pitch angle setpoint is calculated by the power plant controller.

9. The method according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein: The nacelle yaw angle setpoint or the blade pitch angle setpoint is calculated by a wind turbine generator controller of the respective wind turbine generator.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of controlling the operation of the wind turbine generators includes stopping one or more of the wind turbine generators to optimize the power output of the photovoltaic modules.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The step of controlling the operation of the wind turbine generators includes moving one or more wind turbine generators that have been stopped into a configuration in which blade shadows cast by the wind turbine generators on nearby photovoltaic modules are reduced or minimized.

12. A controller configured to control the operation of a hybrid power plant according to the method of any preceding claim.

13. A computer program product downloadable from a communication network or stored on a machine-readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising program code instructions for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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