Wind Turbine Blade Angle Control for Shadow-Effect Energy Gain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind turbines and solar energy systems face inefficiencies in energy generation, particularly in harnessing both wind-based and shadow-effect energy, leading to suboptimal cumulative energy output.
Innovation Solution
Integrating shadow-effect energy generators into wind turbine blades and using an energy generation controller to dynamically adjust the blade angle based on predictive models to maximize cumulative energy generation from both wind and shadow-effect energy sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If separate control systems are used for wind turbines and solar arrays, then each system can be optimized independently, but overall energy management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control systems for wind energy generation and shadow-effect energy generation are merged into a single integrated control algorithm. This unified controller manages both energy sources simultaneously, optimizing the blade angle to maximize cumulative energy generation from both wind and solar components while simplifying the overall control architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The control algorithm is designed to perform multiple functions: monitoring wind conditions, monitoring solar irradiance, calculating optimal blade angles, and actuating the blade pitch mechanism. This multi-functional controller replaces what would otherwise require separate control systems, reducing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances energy harvesting by optimizing blade angles to increase cumulative energy production, leveraging both wind and shadow-effect energy generation, even in varying conditions.
Implementation Method 1
shadow-effect energy generation, which harnesses a contrast between light and shadow on the cells to generate electricity
Implementation Method 2
wind turbines operate by using wind energy to turn blades that spin a generator, which creates electricity
Data Source
AI summary
An energy generation control process is provided for a wind turbine with shadow-effect energy generator(s). The control process includes determining, by an energy generation controller, an adjustment to a blade angle of a wind turbine to increase cumulative energy generation over a forecast time interval from the wind turbine. The wind turbine generates wind-based energy, and the wind turbine includes one or more shadow-effect energy generators to generate shadow-effect energy. The cumulative energy generation includes any wind-based energy generation and shadow-effect energy generation over the forecast time interval. The control process further includes initiating, by the energy generation controller, dynamically adjusting of the blade angle of the wind turbine using the determined adjustment to the blade angle to increase the cumulative energy generation over the forecast time interval from the wind turbine and the one or more shadow-effect energy generators.