Wood Group's clean energy business, previously known as SgurrEnergy, has provided an effective control solution to improve the performance of for EDF EN Mexico's La Mata y La Ventosa wind farm located in Oaxaca, Mexico. 

The renewable energy and grid integration experts were appointed to investigate the performance of the 27 Clipper C89 wind turbines at the 67.5MW site, where high turbulence and high wind speeds required some turbines to be run in a reduced power mode. 

After identifying gearbox wear as a design driver, Wood Group's control engineering team began working on a solution in October 2016. Together with Romax Technologies, they analysed the effect of various deratings on the drivetrain to help determine the best course of action. 

An automatic derating system, which minimises damage in extreme wind conditions and otherwise optimises production, was selected as the best solution to meet the objective before the arrival of severe winter winds. Issues with overproduction, which can result in additional turbine wear, were also dealt with using a power feedback loop. 

The solution was designed as an upgrade to the current controller and was provided as a firmware update, simply requiring upload to the turbines, with no additional hardware. This allowed for rapid deployment across the farm, while also minimising costs. 

Charlie Plumley, control engineer at Wood Group - clean energy, said: "We are pleased that we were able to provide EDF EN Mexico with a non-intrusive, value-for-money solution that was quick to roll-out at La Mata y La Ventosa wind farm. 

"Thanks to our out-of-the-box control solutions which are available for all types of wind turbines, Wood Group can help site owners improve wind turbine life and maximise revenue." 

Wood Group | www.woodgroup.com/cleanenergy