Wind Turbine Control Scheduling for Grid Service Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbines are not typically used to provide system services due to fluctuating free transmission capacity in networks, which can drop to zero, especially during strong wind phases, as existing technologies lack a method to make variable power feed-in available for system services.
Innovation Solution
A control unit connected to a remote-access data transmission network that receives and prioritizes control signals from higher-level controls, allowing wind turbines to implement signals from higher-priority controls even if not reserved, while protecting the network from overload by adhering to a schedule stored in a blockchain, ensuring secure and efficient power management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If wind turbines feed power into the network during strong wind phases, then energy generation is maximized, but the free transmission capacity drops to zero causing network overload
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit dynamically adjusts the power feed-in based on real-time network conditions and transmission capacity. The system transitions from static operation to dynamic control, where the wind turbine's power output is continuously adapted to match network availability, preventing overload while maximizing energy generation when capacity exists.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the wind turbine based on network conditions. By monitoring transmission capacity and adjusting power output accordingly, the system transforms the fixed parameter approach to a variable parameter approach, allowing the wind turbine to operate at different power levels to maintain network stability.
2Reliability
If wind turbines are reserved for system services, then system service availability is improved, but power feed-in to the network is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit implements periodic scheduling where the wind turbine alternates between providing system services and feeding power to the network. This periodic switching allows the system to fulfill both objectives - maintaining system service availability while ensuring adequate power feed-in during periods when network capacity is available.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by providing system services only during specific periods when network capacity is limited, rather than continuously. This partial engagement in system services allows the wind turbine to maintain network stability when needed while preserving the ability to maximize power feed-in during periods of sufficient transmission capacity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If control signals from multiple higher-level controls are implemented, then system flexibility is improved, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit acts as an intermediary between multiple higher-level controls and the wind turbine's power feed-in mechanism. It receives, prioritizes, and coordinates control signals from different sources, resolving conflicts and implementing a unified control strategy that maintains system flexibility while managing control complexity through centralized coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system segments the control functions by assigning different priorities to different higher-level controls. This segmentation allows the system to handle multiple control signals independently, processing them in a structured manner based on priority levels, thereby managing complexity while maintaining adaptability to various control requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating a wind turbine or a plurality of wind turbines combined in a wind farm, to a control unit designed for carrying out the method and to a corresponding computer program product. For the method the wind turbine or the wind farm has a control unit connected to a remote-access data transmission network for controlling the power supply to the wind turbine(s). The control unit is designed for receiving control signals of at least two higher-level controls with different priorities, and stored in the control unit is a schedule of whether, and for which of the higher-level controls, the control unit is reserved for converting control signals at a point in time, the received control signals being converted or discarded as a function of the timetable and the priority of the respective transmitting higher-level control.