Nonlinear model predictive control approach for structural load mitigation of wind turbines in presence of wind measurement uncertainties

In this paper the design of nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) for multi-mega watt wind turbines is addressed. In an attempt to minimize energy production costs, we propose an NMPC scheme to maximize the wind energy harvest while mitigating structural loads. The proposed controller relies on noisy look-ahead wind field information obtained via LIDAR measurements. By means of simulations we demonstrate the advantages of the proposed NMPC approach.