Wind power management system and method

• US 6,925,385 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SeaWest Holdings, Inc. (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SeaWest Holdings, Inc. (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: Roberts, David C., Shireling, John L., Ghosh, Soumen, MacDonald, Sandy, Hedgepeth, Thomas, Goins, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor, Victor J.
• Application Number:
  US10/439,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 702/14, 702/1, 702/3, 700/90, 700/286, 700/287, 700/295, 700/291, 290/44, 340/632
• US Class Current: 702/14
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0284 in relation to the state of the electric grid
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/043 characterised by the type of control logic
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/048 controlling wind farms
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/8211 of the weather
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/20 to optimise the performance of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2619 Wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

According to certain disclosed embodiments of the invention, there is provided a wind power management system to monitor performance of wind turbine generators situated in wind farms, each having a number of wind turbine generators. A real-time wind power portfolio manager receives and stores in real-time data being produced by the wind turbine generator parks. The manager has a reporting module for generating profile reports for the performance of the wind turbine generators. The manager has a server to provide the reports on-line regarding the wind turbine generators. The server stores the real-time data to enable the reports to be based on the history of the project for each one of the parks.

Claims

1. A wind power management system for monitoring, a group of wind turbine generator parks, comprising:

a plurality of SCADA systems each including a SCADA server for collecting wind turbine generator data in real time for each park and for calculating individual process data reports based thereon;

a real-time wind power portfolio manager for monitoring, controlling, maintaining, analyzing and benchmarking performances of wind turbines generators situated in wind parks in real time and on demand for the life of the projects;

said manager having a reporting module for generating profile reports for the performance of the wind turbine generators;

a portfolio manager server for providing said profile reports on-line regarding the wind turbine generators; and

said profile manager server for receiving and storing the real-time data and the individual process data reports from each SCADA server to enable said profile reports to be based on the history of the project for each one of the parks.

2. A system according to claim 1, further including condition based maintenance equipment for the wind turbine generator parks for providing data to said real-time portfolio manager to monitor parameters of the performance of the wind turbines for each of the parks.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said real-time portfolio manager receives and stores real-time meteorological information.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said real-time portfolio manager receives and stores real-time power market information.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said portfolio manager includes a forecasting module for responding to the stored meteorological information and the stored wind park performance information to predict the performance and output of the wind turbine generators.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said portfolio manager includes a scheduling module for responding to said forecasting module to generate real-time power scheduling information.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said portfolio manager includes an interface to a computerized maintenance management system.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said portfolio manager includes a financial module responsive to said computerized maintenance management module and to power trading information for wind asset financial and operational information.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said portfolio manager includes a benchmarking module responsive to said reporting module and to said financial module for generating comparison information of the production and performance from the various wind assets and operators.

10. A wind power managing method for monitoring a group of wind turbine generator parks, comprising:

using a plurality of SCADA systems each including a SCADA server for collecting wind turbine generator data in real time for each park and for calculating individual process data reports based thereon;

receiving and storing via a portfolio manager server in real time the real time data and the process data reports being produced by the SCADA systems;

receiving and storing third party data from third party sources via the portfolio manager server;

generating profile reports for the performance of the wind turbine generators based on the SCDA real-time data and process data reports and on the third party data;

providing said profile reports on-line regarding the wind turbine generators; and

utilizing via the portfolio manager server said real-time data and the individual process data reports from each SCADA server and utilizing via the portfolio manager server the third party data to enable said profile reports to be based on the history of the project for each one of the parks.

11. A method according to claim 10, further including providing data to said real-time profile manager to monitor parameters of the performance of the wind turbines for each of the parks.

12. A method according to claim 10, further including receiving and storing real-time meteorological information.

13. A method according to claim 12, further including receiving and storing real-time power trading information.

14. A method according to claim 13, further including responding to the stored meteorological information and the stored power trading information to access the performance of the wind turbine generators.

15. A method according to claim 14, further including responding to a forecasting module to generate real-time power trading information.

16. A method according to claim 10, further including generating expected downtime information regarding the wind turbine generators and for supplying the expected preventative maintenance downtime information to said forecasting module.

17. A method according to claim 16, further including responding to a computerized maintenance management module and to power trading information for generating power generation cost information.

18. A method according to claim 17, further including responding to a reporting module and to a financial module for generating comparison information of the production from the various wind turbine generators.

19. A wind power management system for monitoring a group of wind turbine generator parks, wherein the system includes a plurality of SCADA systems each having a SCADA server for collecting wind turbine generator data in real time for each park and for calculating individual process data reports based thereon, comprising:

a real-time portfolio manager for receiving and storing in real time data being produced by said wind turbine generator parks;

said manager having a reporting module for generating profile reports for the performance of the wind turbine generators;

a portfolio manager server for providing said profile reports on-line regarding the wind turbing generators; and

said profile manager server for receiving and storing the real-time data and the individual process data reports from each SCADA server to enable said profile reports to be based on the history of the project for each one of the parks.

20. A system according to claim 19, further including condition based maintenance equipment for the wind turbine generator parks for providing data to said real-time profile manager to monitor parameters of the performance of the wind turbines for each of the parks.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein said real-time portfolio manager receives and stores real-time meteorological information.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein said real-time portfolio manager receives and stores real-time power market information.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein said portfolio manager includes a forecasting module for responding to the stored meteorological information and the stored wind park performance information to predict the performance and output of the wind turbine generators.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein said portfolio manager includes a scheduling module for responding to said forecasting module to generate real-time power scheduling information.

25. A system according to claim 19, wherein said portfolio manager includes an interface to a computerized maintenance management system.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein said portfolio manager includes a financial module responsive to said computerized maintenance management module and to power trading information for wind asset financial and operational information.

27. A system according to claim 26, wherein said portfolio manager includes a benchmarking module responsive to said reporting module and to said financial module for generating comparison information on the production and performance from the various wind assets and operators.

28. A wind power managing method for monitoring a group of wind turbine generator parks of an enterprise, comprising:

hosting a wind power management system by a service company;

using a plurality of SCADA systems each including a SCADA server for collecting wind turbine generator data in real time for each park and for calculating individual process data reports based thereon;

receiving the real-time data and the individual process data reports being produced by the SCADA systems operated by the enterprise in real time for the life of the project via a profile manager;

storing the real-time data and the process data reports being produced by the SCADA systems at the service company site for the life of the project via the profile manager; and

wherein the stored real-time data and the process data reports enable profile reports to be generated via the profile manager based on the history of the project for each one of the parks.