Revolutionising wind turbine performance with real-time blade control
How does Wind Turbine Real Time Blade Control work?
Our control framework can be implemented on any wind turbine that has actuated blades capable of undergoing dynamic changes in their orientation.
Our team can retrofit sensors on the turbine blades to capture the necessary information from the effective wind to perform control.
Once the turbine is equipped with the necessary hardware, the control framework will first undergo a learning process. During this process, the control framework will collect extensive data and test various strategies to maximize user-defined objectives.
Within a few hours, our control framework will adapt to the turbine’s geometry and typical local wind conditions, providing transformative benefits to the turbine’s performance.
Proven technology and results
efficiency.
reduction in structural improvements vibrations that cause turbine fatigue failure.
reduction in the streamwise “thrust” force experience by the wind turbine tower.
Advantages of Windworks Active Blade Pitching
Computationally efficient
Interpretable
Robust and versatile
Generalisable
An ideal solution for energy-intensive industries
In 2024, the team at Windworks implemented our real-time blade control framework on the Vertical Sky® A2, a 2-meter diameter wind turbine prototype provided by Agile Wind Power AG.
This project involved designing, building, and testing instrumented wind turbine blades capable of sensing and responding to wind conditions.
Each blade is equipped with a microcontroller that acquires sensor signals and computes the optimal blade orientation hundreds of times per second. The controller was interfaced with the Vertical Sky’s blade pitch motors to enable real-time blade pitch control.
Wind tunnel tests at the Windshape facilities are planned soon. Stay tuned to find out our results!
Harness Wind Energy Like Never Before
Frequently asked questions
Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have several advantages over traditional horizontal-axis turbines (HAWTs), including:
- Lower Noise Levels: VAWTs operate more quietly, making them suitable for urban and residential areas.
- Less Land Required: They require only a third of the land compared to traditional turbines.
- Omni-directional Wind Capture: VAWTs can harness wind from any direction, eliminating the need for complex orientation mechanisms.
- Fauna-Friendly Design: The design is less intrusive to birds and other wildlife.
Our control framework optimizes the performance of vertical-axis wind turbines by dynamically adjusting the blade orientation in real-time. This leads to:
- Threefold Increase in Efficiency: Significantly enhances energy output.
- Reduction in Structural Vibrations: Decreases stress and prolongs the life of the turbine.
- Reduction in Thrust Force: Lowers the force on the turbine tower, improving stability.
Yes, our control framework can be retrofitted onto any vertical-axis wind turbine with actuated blades. We can equip the turbines with sensors and controllers to implement our technology, allowing existing installations to benefit from enhanced performance.
Our technology is ideal for a wide range of industries, including:
- Energy Intensive Industries (Food, Paper, Pharma, Metal)
- Wind Turbine Manufacturers
- Utility Companies
- Commercial and Industrial Facilities
- Agricultural Operations
- Government and Municipal Projects
We have successfully implemented our control framework on a laboratory prototype and are scaling up with an industrial prototype from Agile Wind Power. By 2025, we aim to test our technology in real field conditions on a larger scale.
