RES, with ZX Lidars and KK Wind Solutions, has developed a new system for improving wind farm performance.
The Retrofit Lidar Assisted wind farm Control System (ReLACS) will be trialled by The Renewables Investment Group (TRIG), at several of its onshore wind farms across the UK.
The first to use the ReLACS system is Altahullion wind farm in Northern Ireland.
The benefits of ReLACS include modernising the wind turbine controllers and site monitoring processes and resulting in increased annual energy production (AEP) while also reducing turbine loads, allowing for increased life expectancy, RES said.
By extending the life of existing assets, there is an added sustainability benefit in keeping wind turbines operable for longer and delaying the need to replace them, the developer stated.
The product consists of three upgrades to each wind turbine on site.
First is a turbine controller retrofit.
Retrofitting state of the art controllers onto existing operating models enables access to modern algorithms that can optimise turbine performance, reduce loads and enable advanced control and monitoring systems to be added.
The second addresses wind farm control and wake steering as yawing the turbine deflects the wind flow and provides overall energy gain.
The third is lidar-assisted turbine control (LAC), where turbine-mounted lidar can preview wind speeds and turbulence ahead of the turbine, providing optimised feedback that can reduce turbine loads.
RES technical director Peter Stuart said: “Given the importance of wind power to meeting climate targets, we are proud to have supported in the development of a product that can upgrade the performance of existing wind farms.
“RES’ Wind Farm Control technology provides overall energy gain for turbines and optimises performance, which alongside the capabilities delivered by our partners will help to maximise the performance and lifetime of existing operating turbines.”
Chris Sweetman, TRIG operations director at RES, said: “TRIG is proud to be piloting this innovative product at some of our wind farms across the UK, helping to both optimise performance and extend the asset life.
“This is an exciting development that helps to boost wind power’s contribution within the energy mix as well as reduce the cost of production, demonstrating the benefits of an ongoing innovation within the portfolio.”