Method and controller for controlling an electric power production unit, in particular a wind turbine

• US 8,803,350 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Nielsen, Kaj Skov, Stiesdal, Henrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US13/533,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20130001946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 290/44, 290/55
• US Class Current: 290/44
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/472 For selectively connecting the AC sources in a particular order, e.g. sequential, alternating or subsets of sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A method for controlling an electric power production unit, in particular a wind turbine, connected to a utility grid, includes obtaining information regarding an event at a point in time, wherein the event relates to at least one of electric power delivered to the utility grid and electric power extracted from the utility grid at the point in time, and automatically adapting, before the point in time, a power transfer between the power production unit and the utility grid based on the information. Further a corresponding controller and a wind park are described.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electric power production unit connected to a utility grid, the method comprising:

obtaining information regarding an event at a point in time, wherein the event relates to at least one of electric power delivered to the utility grid and electric power extracted from the utility grid at the point in time;

in advance of the event, ramping down power production by the electric power production unit from a nominal power level to an adapted power level; and

increasing or decreasing power output of the electric power production unit relative to the adapted power level based upon a decrease or increase in grid frequency, respectively.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicates the point in time at which electric power delivered to the utility grid and/or electric power extracted from the utility grid will change.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicates a magnitude of a change of electric power delivered to the utility grid and/or a magnitude of a change of electric power extracted from the utility grid at the point in time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the event is caused by

a schedule of a commercial production requiring energy and/or

a behavior of consumers connected to the utility grid and/or

a starting time of a broadcast event.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ramping down is done

5-30 minutes before the point in time, and wherein the method further comprises ramping up power production by the electric power production unit from the adapted power level back to the nominal power level after the point in time.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the adapted level is at least 10% smaller than the nominal level.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the ramping down is performed according to a predetermined change rate during a predetermined ramp time interval, ranging between 5 minutes and 15 minutes.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein ramping down is done at a rate of between 10% and 20% of a nominal power production level per second.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

controlling at least one further power production unit having a less fast power production change rate than the power production unit,

wherein the controlling comprises increasing power production of the further power production unit while ramping down power production by the electric power production unit.

10. The method according to claim 1, electric power production unit comprises at least one wind turbine, and wherein the ramping down comprises:

reducing a demand of power drawn from a converter of the power production unit and/or

changing a rotor blade pitch angle of a rotor blade of the wind turbine.

11. Controller for controlling an electric power production unit, in particular a wind turbine, connected to a utility grid, wherein the controller is configured:

to obtain information regarding an event at a point in time, wherein the event relates to at least one of electric power delivered to the utility grid and electric power extracted from the utility grid at the point in time;

in advance of the event, ramping down power production by the electric power production unit from a nominal power level to an adapted power level, wherein power production by the electric power production unit may be increased or decreased upon a change in grid frequency; and

increasing or decreasing power output of the electric power production unit relative to the adapted power level based upon a decrease or increase in grid frequency, respectively.

12. Wind turbine park, comprising:

at least one wind turbine comprising a converter;

a controller which is in communication with the convertor of the at least one wind turbine for controlling a power production of the wind turbine, wherein the controller is configured to;

to obtain information regarding an event at a point in time, wherein the event relates to at least one of electric power delivered from the at least one wind turbine to a utility grid and electric power extracted from the utility grid at the point in time;

in advance of the event, ramping down power production by the electric power production unit from a nominal power level to an adapted power level, wherein power production by the electric power production unit may be increased or decreased upon a change in grid frequency; and

increasing or decreasing power output of the electric power production unit relative to the adapted power level based upon a decrease or increase in grid frequency, respectively.