Nonlinear system identification for model-based control of waked wind turbines

Abstract This work presents a nonlinear system identification framework for modeling the power extraction dynamics of wind turbines, including both freestream and waked conditions. The approach models turbine dynamics using data-driven power coefficient maps expressed as combinations of compact radial basis functions and polynomial bases, parameterized in terms of tip-speed ratio and upstream conditions. These surrogate models are embedded in a first-order dynamic system suitable for model-based control. Experimental validation is carried out in two wind tunnel configurations: a low-turbulence tandem setup and a high-turbulence wind farm scenario. In the tandem case, the identified model is integrated into an adapted K ω 2 $ K{\omega}^2 $ upper K omega squared controller, resulting in improved tip-speed ratio tracking and power stability compared to steady-state models, while also outperforming the BEM-based model in the present low Reynolds number setting, where aerodynamic predictions are more uncertain. In the wind farm scenario, the model captures the statistical behavior of the turbines despite unresolved turbulence. The proposed method enables interpretable, adaptive control across a range of operating conditions without relying on black-box learning strategies.