A blade mounted radar system comprises a wind turbine having a hub and blades extending therefrom; a radar antenna configured to transmit and/or receive a radio frequency (RF) signal; and a processor in electrical communication with the radar antenna and configured to generate the RF signal for transmission and/or to process the received RF signal. The radar antenna is affixed to one of the blades of the wind turbine such that relative motion is defined between the radar antenna and a target within a line of sight of the radar antenna. The radar antenna detects impending weather events. A turbine controller generates a signal which alters at least one aspect of the wind turbine to secure and protect the wind turbine from the impending weather event.

Assessing performance impact of a power upgrade of one or more wind turbines of a wind farm that includes a group of target wind turbines and a group of reference wind turbines. For each of the target wind turbines, a transfer function is generated, establishing a relationship between the locally measured wind speed at the target wind turbine and locally measured wind speeds at each of the reference wind turbines. A power upgrade is performed on each of the target wind turbines, and subsequently power performance data is obtained for the reference wind turbines and the target wind turbines, within one or more wind speed intervals. For the target wind turbines, the wind speed intervals are based on estimated wind speeds, based on locally measured wind speeds at the reference wind turbines and the transfer functions.

A method for reducing loads acting on a wind turbine includes determining, via a processor, at least one loading condition of the wind turbine resulting from a wind shear condition below a design threshold, determining, via the processor, a rotor speed setpoint of the wind turbine to cause an increase in thrust when the at least one loading condition exceeds a loading threshold; operating the wind turbine based on the rotor speed, and operating a rotor imbalance control module of the wind turbine to at least partially compensate for the at least one loading condition of the wind turbine resulting from the wind shear condition below the design threshold.

A system can include a data server that calculates a risk level of each of a plurality of wind turbines at a turbine site based at least in part on a base risk level and mortality data that characterizes a mortality of a volant animal caused by a given wind turbine of the plurality of wind turbines. The system can also include a turbine monitor server that stores the risk level of each wind turbine in a database and generates a graphical dashboard based on data in the database. The system can further include a turbine site control server that retrieves data from the database and sets cut-in speed of each of the plurality of wind turbines based on the data retrieved from the database.

An electricity generating apparatus has a turbine between two vertical water-tight towers on a floating base that may be managed to attain a buoyancy such that the towers protrude above a water surface and the turbine remains below the water surface. One tower has an upward extending air conduit with an air pump driven by wind vanes at an upper region. The turbine is adapted to be driven by both wave motion and by tide currents, and an air manifold beneath the turbine, fed with air from the air pump, feeds air to aid in turning the turbine, which in turn drives a generator in one of the towers.

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for controlling and/or upgrading aftermarket multivendor wind turbines. The system includes a turbine controller configured to control operations of the wind turbine, a safety device configured to provide a signal indicative of a health status of the safety device, and a secondary controller inserted between the safety device and the turbine controller. The secondary controller is configured to receive the signal from the safety device over a communication interface. As such, if the signal indicates a normal health status, the secondary controller is configured to send the signal to the turbine controller, i.e. maintain normal operation. Alternatively, if the signal indicates a poor health status, the secondary controller is configured to adjust the signal based at least in part on a signal bias to an adjusted signal and to provide the adjusted signal to the turbine controller.

The present disclosure is directed to a digital twin interface for managing a wind farm having a plurality of wind turbines. The digital twin interface includes a graphical user interface (GUI) displaying a digital equivalent of the wind farm. For example, the digital equivalent of the wind farm includes environmental information and a digital representation of each of the wind turbines arranged in the wind farm. The interface also includes a control icon arranged with each of the digital representations of the wind turbines. In certain embodiments, the control icons of each wind turbine may correspond to a control dial. More specifically, the control icon of each digital representation of the wind turbines includes information regarding current and optimum operating conditions of the digital wind turbine. The interface also includes one or more control features configured to optimize performance of the wind farm.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to implement cooling fans with selectively activated vibration modes are disclosed. An example cooling fan assembly includes a motor and a fan coupled to a shaft of the motor. The motor is to rotate the shaft in a first direction to cause the fan to move air. The motor is to rotate the shaft in a second direction to cause vibration from an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft.

A method for automatically updating data associated with a wind turbine based on component self-identification may generally include providing instructions for transmitting a polling signal to an identification sensor associated with a wind turbine component and, in response to the transmission of the polling signal, receiving current configuration data for the wind turbine component from the identification sensor. The method may also include comparing the current configuration data received from the identification sensor to last-known configuration data for the wind turbine component and automatically updating one or more parameter settings associated with operating the wind turbine based on any differences identified between the current configuration data and the last-known configuration data.

A system includes a processor configured to execute an artificial neural network (ANN). The processor is configured to receive one or more operational parameters associated with an operation of a turbine system. The turbine system includes one or more combustors. The processor is further configured to analyze, via the ANN, the one or more operational parameters to determine a characteristic pattern, and to generate, via the ANN, an output based at least in part on the determined characteristic pattern. The output includes an indication of an intensity of a flame of the one or more combustors to determine a presence or an absence of the flame.