Posters

Abstract

This abstract describes the Dynamic Flicker Optimisation System (DFOS), a novel AI-based curtailment optimisation solution for shadow flicker developed by RES and deployed at an operational wind farm in 2021. Shadow flicker is caused when sun light shining directly on residential houses is interrupted by the rotation of a wind turbine’s blades. This can happen at specific time ranges during the day, called shadow flicker windows, and they change over the year. A simple but very conservative approach to shadow flicker curtailment is to shut down the turbine for the entire duration of the window. The DFOS continuously monitors the situation using cameras and stops the affecting turbines only when it is necessary and reverts the wind farm back to normal operation as soon as the cloud coverage allows it. This means that the wind farm is not curtailed unnecessarily and thus reduces the associated energy losses. This is also superior to the typical approach of using pyranometers to detect shadow flicker conditions, where the locality and high probability of measurement error often results in poor control decisions.