Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of a Simplified Wind Turbine

This paper discusses the implications of formulating a single control law governing the entire wind speed range of operation for a wind turbine. Furthermore, the knowledge of future wind speeds provided by e.g. LIDARs is included in the controller framework. This is possible as the presented controller is based on nonlinear model predictive control and includes the knowledge of the future wind speed in the prediction horizon of the controller. The potential benefits of exploiting the knowledge provided by LIDARs is demonstrated in simulations with a simplified 1 degree-of-freedom nonlinear wind turbine model.