Wind modelling and its possible application to control of wind farms

Abstract

Because of global warming and oil depletion, the number of wind turbines is increasing. Wind turbines commonly have a horizontal axis, but some wind turbines have a vertical axis. A problem of wind turbines with horizontal axis is that we need to face them towards the wind for maximising energy production. If the geography around a wind turbine is complicated, then the wind direction keeps changing. Thus, if one can predict the wind direction to some extent, then one may generate more electricity by controlling wind turbines according to the prediction. In this chapter, we discuss how to model the wind. First, we formulate a problem and clarify which properties of the wind we need to predict. Second, we discuss the characteristics for time series of the wind. Third, we model the wind based on the knowledge and predict it. We prepare different models for predicting wind direction and absolute wind speed. Finally, we apply the prediction and simulate control of a wind turbine. Since we integrate predictions for wind direction and absolute wind speed to obtain an optimal control, the whole scheme can be regarded as heterogeneous fusion. © 2008 Springer US.