A Stationary Turbine Interaction Model for Control of Wind Farms

Turbines operating in wind farms are coupled by the wind flow. This coupling results in limited power production and increased fatigue loads on turbines operating in the wake of other turbines. To operate wind farms cost effectively, it is important to understand and address these effects. In this paper, we derive a stationary model for turbine interaction. The model has a simple intuitive structure, and the parameters a clear interpretation. Moreover, the effect of upwind turbines on a downwind turbine can be completely determined through information from its closest neighbor. This makes the model well suited for distributed control. In an example, we increase total power production in a farm, by coordinating the individual power production of the turbines. The example points to an interesting model property: decreasing power in an upwind turbine can lead to a larger and larger increase in available power downwind. (Less)