Adaptive control of a solar power plant using a multi-model

The paper shows the application of indirect adaptive control (LQG controller) to the distributed collector field of a solar power plant at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (Spain). The region of operation is split up into five operating-points which are represented by five different dynamical linear third-order ARMAX-models to describe the plant characteristics. The actual operating-point of the plant is determined by a characteristic value combining several measurements. The algorithm contains an online identification procedure to determine and to update the respective model of the operating-point. If the operating conditions change slowly a soft transition between the different operating-points is carried out