Deliverable D4.1: Assessment of controller key performance indicators & Guidelines on controller application for the management of existing wind farms

Besides the positive impact wind farm controls have in term of annual energy production of the entire farm, the introduction of these new technologies alters the normal functioning of the single machine and might significantly increase the loads on turbines themselves. In this deliverable the effects of three different wind farm control strategies on the single wind turbine have been analyzed.

The analyses considered three kinds of wind farm controls; wake redirection, active wake mixing and induction control.

During the development of D4.1, CL-Windcon´s partners have investigated the effects on the single wind turbine in terms of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). As indicators, not only the fatigue loads have been analyzed but also the ultimate loads, i.e. the maximum loads a machine may undergo in case of extreme events, like gusts or failures.

Thanks to this extensive simulation campaign, performed with state of the art aeroelastic simulators, it is possible to assess that the increase of turbine fatigue loads induced by farm controls is limited. On the other side, all the analyses conducted by the partners observed that the impact of wind farm control on ultimate loads on some subcomponents is not negligible as well as the maximum blade deflections. This analysis is performed in subsequent parts of the project.

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