Operating method for a system for airborne wind energy production, said system comprising a ground station, an airworthy glider with an airfoil, and a tether for connecting said glider with said ground station, said system being constructed and arranged for airborne wind energy production using lift generated by said airfoil exposed to wind, wherein a first operating phase of increasing free length of tether including flying said glider away from said ground station is repeatedly alternated with a second operating phase of decreasing free length of tether including flying said glider towards said ground station. The operating method according to the invention is characterized in that wind conditions are monitored, wherein at wind conditions below a predetermined minimum condition, said glider is pulled towards said ground station via said tether during at least a part of said second operating phase, thereby increasing velocity of said glider, wherein additional velocity is used to raise altitude of said glider during the following second operating phase.

A control method for increasing reactive power generation of a wind turbine having a Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) includes obtaining, by a control device having one or more processors and one or more memory devices, wind forecast data of the wind turbine. Further, the method includes generating, by the control device, a real-time thermal model of the DFIG of the wind turbine using the wind forecast data. More specifically, the thermal model defines a thermal capacity for the DFIG that does not exceed system limits. Thus, the method also includes dynamically adjusting, by the control device, a reactive power set point of the DFIG of the wind turbine based on the real-time thermal model.

A method for protecting a three-winding transformer of a wind turbine includes estimating, via a controller, an electrical condition of the primary winding of the transformer. The method also includes determining, via the controller, an electrical condition limit of the primary winding. The method also includes comparing, via the controller, the estimated electrical condition to the electrical condition limit. Further, the method includes implementing a corrective action for the wind turbine if the estimated electrical condition exceeds the electrical condition limit so as to reduce the electrical condition within safe limits.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a data processing and control augmentation system capable of identifying overloading of one or more wind turbine assemblies and providing information to a wind farm controller to reduce a power output of each overloaded turbine. The augmentation system thus reduces the power output of each overloaded turbine and, in turn, reduces loads applied to the wind turbine assembly, such as for a period of time until conditions favorably change. A described analysis of the present disclosure is able to utilize several incoming data streams from sensors so arranged to measure wind effects on blades to calculate and compare cyclic loads to threshold limits to o keep the loads within design limits. The control strategy reduces premature failure of components within the wind turbine assembly, and can be applied across an entire wind farm, even with only a subset of wind turbine assemblies being retrofitted.

Systems and methods for controlling operation of one or more auxiliary circuits in a wind turbine system are provided. For instance, a grid event associated with the wind turbine system can be detected. In response to the grid event, a control signal can be provided to an auxiliary circuit breaker of the wind turbine system. The auxiliary circuit breaker can be associated with one or more auxiliary circuits that are not directly in a power production path of the wind turbine system. The auxiliary circuit breaker can disconnect the one or more auxiliary circuits from the grid based at least in part on the control signal.

The present disclosure is directed to a method for preventing a tower strike of a tower of a wind turbine by a rotor blade thereof. The method includes mounting a plurality of sensors circumferentially around the tower at a height generally aligning with a blade tip of the rotor blade in a rotor plane as the blade tip passes through a six o'clock position. Further, the method includes generating, via one or more of the plurality of sensors, at least one distance signal representative of a distance between the blade tip of the rotor blade and the tower as the rotor blade passes by one or more of the sensors. Thus, the method also includes implementing, via a wind turbine controller, a corrective action if the distance signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.

A method for mitigating loads acting on a rotor blade of a wind turbine includes determining, via a state estimator of a controller, a blade state estimation of the rotor blade. The method also includes reconstructing, via the controller, one or more loading signals of the rotor blade from the blade state estimation using modal analysis such that the loading signal(s) include a lead time. Further, the method includes comparing the loading signal(s) of the rotor blade to a loading threshold. Moreover, the method includes implementing a control action based on the comparison such that the lead time provided by the loading signal(s) allows the control action to take effect before a damaging load occurs on the rotor blade.

A wind turbine power generation facility includes: at least one wind turbine power generating apparatus; a lightning sensor for detecting or predicting occurrence of lightning in an installation area of the at least one wind turbine power generating apparatus; and a controller for switching an operation mode of the at least one wind turbine power generating apparatus to a lightning-protection mode in which a rotor rotation speed is lower than a rated rotation speed, on the basis of an output signal of the lightning sensor.

Methods for calculating a maximum safe over-rated power demand for a wind turbine operating in non-standard conditions include the steps of determining a value indicative of a risk of exceeding an ultimate design load during operation in a standard operating condition, and establishing a maximum over-rated power demand corresponding to a maximum power that the turbine may produce under the non-standard operating condition without incurring an increased risk of exceeding the ultimate design load, with respect to operation in the standard condition. A method of over-rating a wind turbine, a wind turbine controller, a wind turbine and a wind power plant are also claimed.

Described is a system for monitoring deflection of turbine blades of a wind turbine comprising a tower. The system comprises a position detecting apparatus mounted to the wind turbine comprising a plurality of position detection components each collecting data regarding a field of detection through which a segment of the turbine blades passes, wherein the position detection components are monitoring distinct fields of detection to collect distances of a plurality of segments of each one of the turbine blades travelling through the fields of detection. The system further comprises a deflection controller configured to receive the collected distances and to determine deflection of the turbine blades accordingly. An associated method comprises collecting distances of a plurality of distinct segments of the turbine blades when the turbine blades travel within a plurality of fields of detections, and processing the collected distances to determine clearance between the turbine blades and the tower.