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Energies
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Optimal Control of Wind and Wave Energy Converters
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Optimal Control of Wind and Wave Energy Converters

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A3: Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 5481

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cristian Paul Chioncel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering Science, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400347 Cluj Napoca, Romania
Interests: renewable energy; energy policy; energy conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gelu Ovidiu Tirian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Engineering Faculty of Hunedoara, Politehnica University Timisoara, 300006 Timișoara, Romania
Interests: automation; process control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine a society where, in the energy mix, the electricity produced from renewable sources will not experience a significant increase. In this area, the capture and transformation of air (wind) and sea (wave) current energy is the most efficient method, as it reduces the footprint on the ground, has minimal negative effects in the construction phase, and has an overall positive environmental impact.

Regarding wind exploitation, this trend can be traced for onshore as well as offshore wind energy production.

Independent of energy source, wind, or wave, the first condition is to identify a location with the right potential, followed by different site assessments, technical planning, and a huge weight of bureaucratic approval and the authorization process. The offshore area has become one of the leading renewable energy areas, driving change in energy production.

Once the wind and wave turbines operate, it is a big challenge to ensure the operation of the turbines according to the wind power or wave characteristics. Therefore, ensuring operation at the maximum power point (MPP) represents a continuing challenge.

The location with the best wind or wave location is unusable for exploiting this potential if the network grid capacity is not given. A continuous challenge is given to maintain constant grid improvement and intelligent network control that can facilitate better power distribution in the network.

The Guest Editors of this special Issue, Optimal Control of Wind and Wave Energy Converters, invite you to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the theory, design, modelling, application, control, and condition monitoring of all types of wind or wave turbines to increase their efficiency.

Dr. Cristian Paul Chioncel
Dr. Gelu Ovidiu Tirian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • operation at maximum power point (MPP)
  • electric generators
  • wave energy converters
  • transmission and distribution grid
  • smart grid
  • wind measurement techniques
  • onshore and offshore wind turbines
  • operational monitoring
  • error diagnosis of wind turbine parts

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2476 KiB  
Article
The Problem of Power Variations in Wind Turbines Operating under Variable Wind Speeds over Time and the Need for Wind Energy Storage Systems
by Cristian Paul Chioncel, Elisabeta Spunei and Gelu-Ovidiu Tirian
Energies 2024, 17(20), 5079; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17205079 - 12 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1433
Abstract
One of the most important and efficient sources of green electricity is catching air currents through wind turbine technology. Wind power plants are located in areas where the energy potential of the wind is high but it varies. The time variation of the [...] Read more.
One of the most important and efficient sources of green electricity is catching air currents through wind turbine technology. Wind power plants are located in areas where the energy potential of the wind is high but it varies. The time variation of the wind generates fluctuations in the power produced by the wind farms that is injected into the grid. This elevates, depending on the intensity, problems of network stability and the need for balancing energy, thus raising both technical and cost issues. The present paper analyzes the behavior of a wind turbine (WT) over time in varying wind speed conditions, highlighting that without automation algorithms, a WT is far from the operation at the maximum power point (MPP). However, even when it is brought to operate at MPP, there are still significant variations in the power injected into the network. These power variations can be compensated if the wind system has energy storage facilities for the captured wind. All of these assumptions are analyzed using improved mathematical models and processed in simulations, with experimental data used as input from a wind turbine with an installed power of 2.5 [MW] in operation on the Romanian Black Sea coastal area. Consequently, the paper demonstrates that during an operation in the optimal area, from an energy perspective, the wind turbine’s maximum power point requires a storage system for the captured wind energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Control of Wind and Wave Energy Converters)
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25 pages, 11981 KiB  
Article
An Experimental Performance Assessment of a Passively Controlled Wind Turbine Blade Concept: Part B—Material Oriented with Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
by Nikolaos Papadakis and Constantinos Condaxakis
Energies 2024, 17(13), 3286; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17133286 - 4 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 937
Abstract
This paper is the second in a two-part series presenting preliminary results on a passively controlled wind turbine rotor system using a flexible curved blade concept. Building on the initial findings, this segment explores the application of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites with strategically [...] Read more.
This paper is the second in a two-part series presenting preliminary results on a passively controlled wind turbine rotor system using a flexible curved blade concept. Building on the initial findings, this segment explores the application of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites with strategically oriented layers to enhance blade flexibility and aerodynamic performance and ensure operational safety. Previously, we demonstrated that flexible blades fabricated from isotropic materials with an NACA4415 airfoil profile could self-regulate rotor RPM and power output in response to aerodynamic loads, offering a glimpse of controlled operational behavior, in contrast to straight blades of similar material geometry and aerodynamic characteristics. However, they did not fully meet the design objectives, particularly in achieving nominal power at the intended wind speeds and in safely halting operation at high wind speeds. The current study employs a GFRP blade with a simpler, flat geometry due to manufacturing constraints, diverging from traditional airfoil contours to focus on material behavior under aerodynamic loads. Despite these changes, the blade exhibited all desired operational characteristics: quick startup, stable power output across operational wind speeds, and effective shutdown mechanisms at high speeds. This success illustrates the potential of passively controlled blades designed with appropriately oriented composite layers. Challenges with load application methods—that were identified in the first installment—were addressed by adopting a generator connected to a rheostat, offering improved control over load variations compared to the mechanical brakes used previously. This advancement enabled more consistent data collection, particularly at lower Tip–Speed Ratio (TSR) values, although real-time control for maximum power point tracking was still out of reach. These findings not only confirm the effectiveness of the flexible blade concept but also highlight the need for further refinement in blade design and testing methodology to optimize performance and ease of manufacturing. Future work will continue to refine these designs and explore their scalability and economic viability for broader applications in wind energy technology and in particular to those of small Wind Energy Converter Systems (WECSs). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Control of Wind and Wave Energy Converters)
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33 pages, 15440 KiB  
Article
An Experimental Performance Assessment of a Passively Controlled Wind Turbine Blade Concept: Part A—Isotropic Materials
by Nikolaos Papadakis and Constantinos Condaxakis
Energies 2024, 17(12), 3049; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17123049 - 20 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 959
Abstract
This paper is the first part of a two-part series, which presents preliminary findings on a novel flexible curved wind turbine blade designed for passive control, comparing its aerodynamic performance and behavior against a conventional straight blade. Characterized by its ability to twist [...] Read more.
This paper is the first part of a two-part series, which presents preliminary findings on a novel flexible curved wind turbine blade designed for passive control, comparing its aerodynamic performance and behavior against a conventional straight blade. Characterized by its ability to twist around its longitudinal axis under bending loads, the flexible curved blade is engineered to self-regulate in response to varying wind speeds, optimizing power output and enhancing operational safety. This design utilizes inherent elasticity and specific geometric configurations to develop torsional loads, resulting in continuous adjustment of the blade’s pitch angle via twist–bend deformation. The study focuses on a comparative analysis conducted in a wind tunnel, testing both a small-scale model of the conventional blade and the flexible curved blade of equivalent diameter. Results indicate that the flexible curved blade concept successfully moderates its rotational speed and power output at higher wind speeds and demonstrates the capability to start generating power at lower wind speeds and stabilize power effectively, aligning with sustainability goals by potentially reducing reliance on active control systems. Despite promising outcomes, passive control mechanisms did not activate at the designed wind speeds, revealing a misalignment between expected and actual performance and underscoring the need for further refinements in blade design and control settings. Additionally, the power coefficient (Cp) versus tip speed ratio (TSR) comparison showed that flexible curved blades operate within a lower TSR range and exhibit controlled capping of power under high wind conditions, marked by a distinctive ‘hook-like’ feature in Cp behavior. This study confirms the feasibility of designing and manufacturing passively controlled wind turbine blades tailored to specific performance criteria and underscores the potential of such technology. Future work, to be detailed in a subsequent paper, will explore further optimizations and the use of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFPR) composite materials to enhance blade flexibility and performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Control of Wind and Wave Energy Converters)
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15 pages, 8490 KiB  
Article
Optimal Control of Brushless Doubly Fed Wind Power Generator under Zero-Voltage Ride-Through
by Junyang Xu and Pengcheng Nie
Energies 2024, 17(1), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17010235 - 1 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1251
Abstract
In the grid-connected operation dynamics of brushless doubly fed generators (BDFGs), a dip in the grid voltage is equivalent to suddenly adding a reverse voltage source at the parallel node. By deriving the expressions of the transient current of power winding (PW), control [...] Read more.
In the grid-connected operation dynamics of brushless doubly fed generators (BDFGs), a dip in the grid voltage is equivalent to suddenly adding a reverse voltage source at the parallel node. By deriving the expressions of the transient current of power winding (PW), control winding (CW), and rotor winding (RW) of a BDFG in the complex frequency domain under a natural state, it was concluded that the overshoot and oscillation time are affected by the CW voltage, the drop degree and phase of the grid voltage, and the rotor speed. Therefore, an optimal control strategy is proposed. A state model with the CW current as the state variable was constructed using the Pontryagin minimum principle. The finite-time integral value of the square of the electromagnetic torque was set as the objective function to achieve the minimum value that could suppress the overshoot and oscillation of the electromagnetic torque, and the optimal CW voltage command value was directly solved to accelerate the convergence of the BDFG’s physical quantities, thereby reducing the amplitude. Finally, the feasibility of the optimal control algorithm was verified using tests on an experimental platform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Control of Wind and Wave Energy Converters)
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