Research team's algorithm could make constant wind power a breeze

A new algorithm could get the most out of wind power - even when there is no breeze at all.

Scientists from the University of Rhode Island in the U.S.A. and Wuhan University in China have teamed up, trying to make power from turbines more reliable and consistent. The researchers said their system, which analyses wind behaviour patterns and predicts future distribution, could eventually help power grids constantly use electricity from wind power.

The renewable source currently has “high randomness, uncertainty, and volatility” despite the need for a consistent supply to avoid fossil fuel use, said Rhode Island engineer Haibo He. “The power grid is a real-time system requiring the plants produce the right amount of electricity at the right time to consistently and reliably meet the load demand.”

The team has proposed a new forecasting system to optimise wind power systems using a new algorithm. The system helps calculate the next day’s energy requirement alongside current use. It then decides the optimal output for the next 24 hours to meet the system load at the lowest possible cost, and within transmission and operational constraints.

“The approach suggested is interesting and begins to provide options for more effective use of wind power,” said Jenifer Baxter, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. “This approach can support the wider initiatives across the sector to address the problems of variability in wind power and help to balance an increasingly complex electricity system.”

Larger wind turbines generating more power and reducing the area required will be used more in future, said Dr Baxter. Wind can also be used in “distributed electricity systems” to support local and remote communities at smaller scale, she added. “Excess electricity produced from wind could begin to be stored in batteries, cryogenic storage and as hydrogen through electrolysis.”

The paper was published in the IEEE/ CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica.