The ECN unit Wind Energy has been highly successful in selling licences for software for the design, certification and operation of wind turbines, which enable turbine control systems to be monitored, evaluated and enhanced, among other things. A number of turbine manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere are now using these software programs on a large scale. ECN is seeing the results of ten years of unremitting research work.

Since various computer programs have been put on sale, the number of licences sold by the unit Wind Energy has gone up dramatically, more than quadrupling since 2006. Theo de Lange, unit manager ECN Wind Energy, points out that ECN is not just out to sell the software but to provide a combination of software and service. Licences are often sold in conjunction with training courses.

A variety of programs
The Control Design Tool and TURBU programs have been developed for the design and implementation of wind turbine control systems. Four licences for the Control Design Tool have been sold and a fifth sale is in the pipeline. The new licensees are three manufacturers and two centres of expertise. Delft University of Technology has been provided with a special version for teaching students about control technology. The TURBU program was made available to outside organizations at the end of 2007. Three licences have already been sold to a global turbine manufacturer and two centres of expertise, following a lengthy and highly detailed evaluation of the program.

Tim van Engelen, project manager in the ‘Wind Turbine Design and Control Systems Group’: “ECN Wind Energy has a variety of computer programs. With one type, for example, we can compute the loads on a wind turbine under virtually any conceivable conditions. We have programs for the design of rotors, covering aerodynamic efficiency, vibration and noise. Then we have programs to compute output from a particular site and the cost of maintenance and operation. We are currently developing programs to compute the wake effect of wind turbines, their behaviour on wind farms and for integrated cost optimization, so as to meet the growing needs of turbine manufacturers and wind farm developers.”

Pivotal tool
A pivotal tool for the development of control systems is the Control Design Tool program, which is capable of designing a state-of-the-art wind turbine control system entirely by computer. Van Engelen: “As we opted for MATLAB as the programming platform, the control system can be connected up directly as a module and installed on the turbine’s control computer itself. The software has been programmed as open source software, enabling us to go beyond well-trodden paths and investigate and implement all sorts of ideas and innovations of our own and out customers.”

Information:
For more information on the sale of licences and related courses please see the price list on the ECN web site: http://www.ecn.nl/wind/

Contact:
Tim van Engelen
ECN Wind Energy
Tel.: 0224 - 564141
vanengelen@remove-this-part-ecn.nl