Wind Turbine Shadow Flicker Management via Remote Image Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbines cause shadow flicker, which is perceived as troublesome by residents and can affect animals, due to the rotating rotor casting shadows on nearby properties, especially during unfavorable sun positions, and existing shut-down systems using light sensors are complex and unreliable.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using a processor to determine sun position and spatial location of wind turbines relative to receptors, implementing corrective actions such as shutting down or adjusting rotor blades and nacelle yaw to reduce shadow flicker, incorporating weather data and light intensity for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If light sensitive sensors are used to detect shadow flicker, then shadow flicker detection capability is improved, but system complexity and reliability deteriorate due to complex wiring and sensor failure risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the shadow flicker detection function from the physical light sensors and relocates it to a remote server that processes images captured by cameras. This eliminates the need for complex wiring and multiple sensors at the wind turbine site, thereby improving system reliability while maintaining detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of cameras and a remote server that mediates between the wind turbine and the shadow flicker detection function. Instead of using light sensors directly at the turbine, the system captures images and processes them remotely, simplifying the on-site hardware and improving reliability.
2Measurement precision
If multiple light sensitive sensors are deployed in different locations, then shadow flicker detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to complex set-up and wiring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the detection function from multiple distributed sensors and consolidates it into a single image processing system located at a remote server. This eliminates the need for complex multi-sensor wiring and setup while maintaining or improving detection accuracy through image analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses image capture as a copy of the light intensity information that would otherwise require multiple physical sensors. By capturing visual information and processing it remotely, the system achieves accurate shadow flicker detection without the complexity of deploying and wiring multiple light sensitive sensors at different locations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for managing shadow flicker at a wind turbine site having at least one wind turbine includes determining, via a processor, a sun position of the wind turbine site. The method also includes receiving, via the processor, a spatial location of the at least one wind turbine with respect to at least one receptor. Further, the method includes determining, via the processor, whether shadow flicker is occurring at the at least one receptor based, at least in part, on the sun position and the spatial location of the at least one wind turbine. Moreover, the method includes implementing, via the processor, a corrective action for the at least one wind turbine when shadow flicker occurs at the at least one receptor to reduce the shadow flicker.