Squaring the Circle

It goes without saying that wind turbine operators strive for the highest possible energy yields in order to achieve maximum financial returns. However, this demand is diametrically opposed to sustainable plant operation – at least in the short term. How can these two opposing goals be reconciled? The solution lies in innovative control concepts such as that developed by RWTH Aachen University: model-based predictive control for wind turbines. The concept, developed using a comprehensive, simulation based development process, has now been field-tested for the first time on a multi-megawatt turbine operated by Rostockbased company W2E Wind to Energy GmbH (W2E).