Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Preventing Bird Collisions with Wind Turbines

The deployment and operation of wind turbines can have a negative environmental impact on bird population. To preserve avian wildlife, several studies have been done to understand and reduce the risks of collisions between birds and wind turbines. This work proposes a novel control scheme for preventing bird collisions with rotating blades of wind turbines. The scheme consists of a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) based on obstacle avoidance. The core idea relies on the assumption that bird flight trajectories can be predicted, and then, the turbine speed is modified by a small amount to avoid a potential collision with the bird. The proposed NMPC scheme defines a bird-blade distance constraint to keep a safety distance between the wind turbine blades and birds approaching the rotor swept area. Numerical simulation results are presented to illustrate the behavior of the control scheme and its ability to prevent collisions.