A Dynamic Optimization Approach for Maximum Aerodynamic Coefficient of a Wind Turbine

Wind energy is the most abundant resource in the renewable energy portfolio. Increasing the wind capture capability improves the economic viability of this technology, making it more competitive with traditional fossil-fuel based approaches. Therefore, it is beneficial to explore optimal control strategies that maximize aerodynamic efficiency, thus, the wind energy capture. Accordingly, this paper presents a dynamic programming approach to find the control inputs for the blade pitch angle and speed ratio, that maximizes the power coefficient. The process uses historical wind data to evaluate the performance of various inputs over a simulated time horizon. A dynamic wind turbine model facilitates this process by characterizing the performance of the various possible input scenarios. Each scenario is scored through the programming technique, and the optimal control inputs are identified following simulation. The results are presented to compare the wind energy capture under the proposed algorithm with the traditional feedback control design.