Ghana wind turbine control system

This paper seeks to establish the fact that Ghana is endowed with relatively significant wind resource and has the necessary infrastructure that makes wind power generation a viable venture in the country.

Each year, the wind farm generates sufficient electricity to meet the needs of more than 150,000 average Ghanaian households. But it not only produces clean and reliable power: It also benefits the local communities in many ways. You learn more about this pioneering project within this webpage.

However, due to critical constraints such as land availability, land suitability, land use and topography, the exploitable wind power capacity of Ghana has been found to range between 200 MW and 300 MW according to the Energy Commission of Ghana.

Ghana's success in deploying wind energy will hinge on its ability to attract both domestic and international capital. To that end, the government should establish a Wind Infrastructure Development Fund—seeded through a combination of concessional financing, climate funds (e.g., the Green Climate Fund), and sovereign guarantees.

At the National Wind Technology Center, researchers design, implement, and test advanced wind turbine controls to maximize energy extraction and reduce structural dynamic loads. These control designs are based on linear models of the turbine that are simulated using specialized modeling software.

Advanced wind turbine controls can reduce the loads on wind turbine components while capturing more wind energy and converting it into electricity. NREL is researching new control methodologies for both land-based wind turbines and offshore wind turbines.