METHOD AND CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLING AN ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTION UNIT, IN PARTICULAR A WIND TURBINE

• US 20130001946A1
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Stiesdal, Henrik, Nielsen, Kaj Skov
• Granted Patent: US 8,803,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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, in particular a wind turbine, 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; and

automatically adapting, before the point in time, a power transfer between the power production unit and the utility grid based on the information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information indicates the point in time at which the electric power delivered to the utility grid and/or the 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 the electric power delivered to the utility grid and/or a magnitude of a change of the 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 an adaption of the power transfer is performed during an adaptation time span between

5 minutes, in particular 30 minutes, before the point in time, and

5 minutes, in particular 30 minutes, after the point in time.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the adaption of the power transfer comprises changing a power production by the power production unit supplied to the utility grid from a nominal level to an adapted level, which is at least 10% smaller than the nominal level.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a change of the power production is performed according to a predetermined change rate during a predetermined ramp time interval, ranging between 5 minutes and 15 minutes, within the adaptation time span.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the adaption of the power transfer comprises setting the production unit in a fast response mode after changing the power production by the power production unit from the nominal level to the adapted level such that the power production by the production unit may be rapidly increased upon a drop of a grid frequency.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the adaption of the power transfer comprises setting the production unit in a fast response mode after changing the power production by the power production unit from the nominal level to the adapted level such that the power production by the production unit may be rapidly increased upon a drop of a grid frequency.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the power production unit is adapted to change the power production in a range between 20% and 20% of a nominal power production level per second.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the power production unit is adapted to change the power production in a range between 20% and 20% of a nominal power production level per second.

12. 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 adapting before the point in time a power transfer between the further power production unit and the utility grid based on the information at the point in time or based on a grid frequency.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, before the point in time, the power production by the production unit is decreased, in particular ramped down, to the adapted level, while the power production by the further power production unit is increased, in particular ramped up synchronously, to stabilize the grid frequency.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, after the point in time, the power production by the power production unit is increased, in particular ramped up, to the nominal level, while the power production by the further production unit is decreased, in particular ramped down synchronously, to stabilize a grid frequency.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein an adaption of the power production by the power production unit comprises

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

adapting a rotor blade pitch angle of a rotor blade of the power production unit.

16. 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, and

to adapt, before the point in time, a power transfer between the power production unit and the utility grid based upon the information.

17. Wind turbine park, comprising:

at least one wind turbine comprising a converter;

a controller which is connected to 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 to the utility grid and electric power extracted from the utility grid at the point in time, and

to adapt, before the point in time, a power transfer between the power production unit and the utility grid based upon the information.