Observer-based control of a tethered wing wind power system: indoor real-time experiment

High altitude wind energy (HAWE) is a new field of renewable energy that has received an increasing attention during the last decade. Many solutions were proposed to harvest this energy including the usage of kites and wings. In this paper, a novel wind power system based on a tethered wing is presented. An observer-based control strategy that avoids the need for precise knowledge of the dynamic model is then applied. Numerical simulations show the performance of the proposed control scheme which is validated in real time on an indoor experimental set-up of Gipsa-lab control system department.