EU EFRE-NRW Förderung

Smart Windpark Laboratory

Swiplab 280x128

With the Paris Agreement in 2015, the German Federal Government has acknowledged the global challenges of climate change and made the commitment to contribute to an environment-friendly electricity supply by decarbonization. A sustainable solution can only be achieved by utilizing renewable energy sources. Due to the technological advances, wind power plants are one of the promising technologies to deal with the social challenges of climate change and contribute to a secure and reliable energy supply.

Under the supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Constantinos Sourkounis, in this project, the first stage of the research infrastructure “Smart Windpark Laboratory” (SWiPLab) will be conceptualized, build up and validated with the main objective to allow new investigations for an application-oriented research in the field of wind energy.


The planned research infrastructure SWiPLab complements existing research expertise in the field of wind energy at Ruhr University Bochum by a modular and flexible laboratory. In its first stage, the SWiPLab-concept comprises of a laboratory-scale wind farm including the interconnected power network. In addition to the laboratory-concept, real-time capable super computer systems emulate the wind rotor as well as aerodynamic conditions within the wind farm to allow investigations under controlled and reproducible conditions.

The main investigation objectives will be focusing on the mutual impacts of Wind Energy Converters (WEC) in the wind farm as well as the interaction of the overall wind farm with the interconnected power network. Contrary to other funded projects which focus on large individual WEC systems or individual optimization of single components, SWiPLab’s basic approach is to pursue a holistic and system-wide investigation: The analysis, test and optimization of individual WEC components, WEC and wind farm control and management systems are conducted considering interactions of all components in the electromechanical drivetrain as well as interactions between each WEC in variable grid structures.

Associated Partners

  • Fraunhofer Institute forLogo Assoziierte Partner
    Wind Energy Systems (IWES)
  • Avasition GmbH

This project is funded by the European Union and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the frame of the funding competition “Forschungsinfrastrukturen” using funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-2020 “Investment in growth and employment”.

Announcements

Opening of the Smart Windpark Laboratory

Research competences at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in the field of wind energy are extended by a modular and flexible research infrastructure.

It is a lengthy process to implement a research project of this magnitude. This made the inaugural workshop on October 26, 2022, at which the new Smart Wind Farm Laboratory (SWiPLab) research infrastructure was presented, all the more celebratory.

Swiplab Workshop
Lupe

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Swiplab

Research project inVETra

In the joint project inVETra, funded by the Federel Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), an innovative condition monitoring system based on novel sensor technology will be developed for its application in wind turbines.

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to project webpage

Cooperation RUB-IWES

The cooperation is now official. With the establishment of a Fraunhofer-IWES branch office under the direction of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sourkounis, a new competence center for wind energy is created in Bochum.

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Research project SmartWind

New algorithms based on artificial intelligence to optimize operation and maintenance activities in wind farms are investigated within the European Joint Project SmartWind.

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to project website https://smart-wind.eu/

Three-dimensional Wind Model

A three-dimensional wind model has been developed to emulate the complex aerodynamic conditions within wind farms.

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Strong Partnership for Optimal Wind Power

To research wind power conversion systems a laboratory-scale wind park will be build in Bochum, Germany. Now, one milestone has been achieved.

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Invitation SWiPLab-Workshop

Workshop on Thursday, 22nd March 2018, 9 am, Ruhr-University Bochum

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Directions

Smart Windpark Laboratory

Address:Anfahrtsbeschreibung
Smart Windpark Laboratory
Prinz-Regent-Straße 74 c
44795, Bochum
Germany

(click to enlarge)

Parking

Please drive past the building on the right.

Contact

Ruhr University Bochum
Institute for Power Systems Technology
and Power Mechatronics

Building ID 1 / PO box no. 40
Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
Tel.: +49 234 32-23956 / Fax: -14597
office (at) enesys.rub.de