Abstract
Lidar-assisted control is a promising technology for reducing the levelized cost of energy from wind turbines, but quantifying its impact at the overall system level requires sophisticated systems engineering analysis and optimization frameworks. The joint workshop on Optimizing Wind Turbines with Lidar-Assisted Control Using Systems Engineering was held by the International Energy Agency Wind Task 32 (Lidar) and Task 37 (Systems Engineering) in October 2019 to address this challenge. This paper summarizes the outcome of the workshop and presents a road map for further research. The most promising applications of lidar-assisted control identified at the workshop and discussed here include 1) increasing annual energy production, 2) decreasing capital expenditure costs by reducing design loads, 3) extending turbine lifetime by reducing operating loads, and 4) enabling wind turbine class upgrades. For each application, we review the state of the art and highlight remaining research needs. Finally, we discuss strategies for addressing these research needs by conducting high-fidelity systems engineering optimizations.
Highlights
Lidar-assisted control (LAC) holds potential for increasing the power output from and reducing the structural loads on wind turbines [1]
The most promising applications of lidar-assisted control identified at the workshop and discussed here include 1) increasing annual energy production, 2) decreasing capital expenditure costs by reducing design loads, 3) extending turbine lifetime by reducing operating loads, and 4) enabling wind turbine class upgrades
It is difficult to determine the potential impact of LAC on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) from wind turbines, because of several areas of uncertainty, including 1) how the load reduction might impact component design; 2) the reliability of the LAC system during the turbine lifetime; and 3) the total cost of the lidar during the turbine lifetime, including operation-and-maintenance (O&M) costs
Summary
Lidar-assisted control (LAC) holds potential for increasing the power output from and reducing the structural loads on wind turbines [1]. Conventional horizontal-axis upwind turbines rely on a wind vane sensor to measure the wind direction as an input to an actively controlled yaw system This sensor is typically located on the aft portion of the nacelle roof behind the rotor plane. The lidar measurements can either be used to calibrate an existing vane and/or transfer function for an active yaw controller [9] or be fed directly into the controller in place of the vane sensor [10] Both methods have shown that the yaw error can be reduced, resulting in gains in power production [9, 10, 1].
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