Turbine & generator control · pitch/yaw interface · grid compliance · open architecture
Custom wind turbine control systems for new installations and retrofit projects, delivering reliable turbine and generator control, converter integration, and grid-compliant power regulation.
Control
Wind turbines operate under constantly changing conditions. The control system must continuously coordinate rotor speed, blade pitch, nacelle yaw, generator output, and power converter operation to maximize energy production while protecting the turbine from excessive mechanical loads. Below rated wind speed, the control system optimizes power capture. Above rated speed, it regulates power output, responds to changing wind conditions, supports grid requirements, and protects the drivetrain and structural components during normal operation and transient events.
Innova Technologies designs custom wind turbine control systems to match each turbine’s rotor, drivetrain, generator, and power conversion equipment. Our systems are developed using IEC 61131-3 control logic on open architecture platforms, giving operators full access to the application software, documentation, and long-term support without dependence on proprietary control systems.
The Problem
Many operating wind turbines continue to rely on legacy OEM control systems that are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Replacement components may be discontinued or difficult to source, software support can be limited, and older control platforms may not support evolving grid requirements without significant modification. The result can be longer outages, higher maintenance costs, and reduced operational flexibility.
Replacing an aging control system with another proprietary platform may address hardware availability, but it often preserves the same long-term dependency on a single supplier. Innova Technologies provides an open architecture alternative with modern turbine and generator controls, transparent IEC 61131-3 application software, and commercially available hardware. Operators gain a control system that is easier to maintain, simpler to upgrade, and better positioned to support changing operational and grid requirements.
Capabilities
Below rated wind, the controller tracks the optimal tip-speed ratio to maximize energy capture; above rated, it holds rated power and speed while limiting loads. The algorithm is tuned to each turbine's rotor aerodynamics, drivetrain dynamics, and generator/converter characteristics for stable, efficient operation across the full wind envelope.
Startup, cut-in, normal stop, emergency stop, and idling are automated with operator-selectable auto and manual modes, hold points for field verification, and full alarm and diagnostic messaging. Controlled shutdown manages pitch-to-feather, drivetrain braking, and yaw parking with valve- and actuator-position verification where applicable.
We interface to individual or collective blade-pitch systems and to the yaw drive, coordinating pitch for power limiting and load reduction and yaw for alignment and cable-unwind management. Pitch and yaw interlocks, feathering-on-fault, and safe-state behavior are defined with the customer and verified during Factory Acceptance Testing.
Real-time condition monitoring is built into the platform, drivetrain vibration, bearing and gearbox temperature, generator condition, and pitch/yaw actuator health. The system exposes diagnostics, alarms, and trends to plant historians, SCADA, and asset-management systems, and supports interfaces to API 670-style machinery-protection platforms where specified.
The control system coordinates with the power converter and generator to command active and reactive power, manage torque, and sequence connection and disconnection. We implement supervisory interfaces to common converter and generator platforms, preserving the machine's electrical operating and protection requirements while modernizing the surrounding logic.
Overspeed, over-vibration, grid-loss, and other protective functions are implemented on independent logic where required, driving the turbine to a defined safe state, typically pitch-to-feather and disconnect. Protection architecture and any safety-integrity targets are set with the customer and tested and documented during FAT prior to commissioning.
We implement active/reactive power regulation, voltage and frequency support, ramp-rate limiting, and fault ride-through behavior to meet the applicable grid code and interconnection agreement. Specific compliance scope is set by the site's grid-code requirements and validated against the interconnection study during commissioning.
Why Innova Technologies
When your turbines come from mixed OEM fleets, and your controllers are aging out, we’re the independent expert who can retrofit them without starting over.
Innova Technologies is not tied to a specific turbine, generator, or power converter manufacturer. We engineer custom control system retrofits for a wide range of wind turbine platforms, preserving each turbine’s operating, electrical, and protection requirements while replacing aging or proprietary control systems with modern, open-architecture solutions.
Full-Function Factory Acceptance Testing
Before shipment, your team participates in a full-function Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) to verify every aspect of the control system. Startup and shutdown sequencing, torque and speed control, pitch and yaw interfaces, grid compliance functions, protective logic, alarms, interlocks, and all I/O are tested using simulated field signals to confirm system performance before installation.
Our control systems are engineered to meet the requirements of your applicable grid code and interconnection agreement. Active and reactive power control, voltage and frequency support, ramp-rate limiting, and fault ride-through functions are configured to satisfy site-specific operating requirements and utility compliance standards.
Our wind turbine control systems are built on commercially available PLC and DCS hardware using documented IEC 61131-3 application software. Your engineering and maintenance teams have full access to the control logic, configuration, and documentation, allowing them to modify setpoints, tune control loops, troubleshoot issues, and maintain the system without relying on proprietary engineering tools.
Technical Resources
FAQ
Our wind turbine control systems are engineered to meet the applicable grid code and interconnection requirements for each project. Control functions such as active and reactive power regulation, voltage and frequency support, ramp-rate limiting, and fault ride-through are configured to satisfy site-specific operating requirements and utility standards.
The compliance scope is defined during the engineering phase based on the project’s interconnection requirements and applicable grid code. System performance is verified during commissioning to confirm the control system operates as specified.
A single wind turbine control system retrofit typically takes 12 to 24 weeks from purchase order to commissioning, depending on project scope, equipment availability, and site requirements. Multi-unit projects or retrofits that include significant electrical modifications or grid compliance upgrades may require additional time. At project kickoff, we establish a detailed project schedule with milestones for engineering, procurement, fabrication, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), installation, and commissioning. This structured approach helps keep the project on schedule while minimizing disruption to operations.
The control system is engineered to place the turbine in a predefined safe state if grid power or control power is lost. Depending on the turbine design and site requirements, this may include blade pitch to feather, drivetrain braking, generator disconnection, and other protective shutdown functions to prevent uncontrolled operation.
Independent control for every turbine class.
Anti-surge, loadshare, performance, and capacity control.
Featured
Don’t see your industry?
If your equipment runs and your downtime costs more than the controls do, let’s talk
Single-source
A MESSAGE FROM JOHN KAZOUR, CEO
To our customers and partners,
For more than 50 years, our team has helped customers keep critical operations running. We built our reputation as Petrotech by taking responsibility for control systems on important rotating machinery.
As more industries came to us with similar challenges across power generation, compression, and hydro applications, our engineering team kept finding ways to solve them. Eventually, the business outgrew the Petrotech name.
We are entering our next chapter as Innova Technologies. The new name reflects the full scope of our work as a rotating machinery control systems specialist. We engineer controls around the machine, deliver complete projects from design through commissioning, and provide support that stays with the problem until it is solved.
Our name is changing, but the people, engineering experience, and commitment behind the work continue. Our responsibility to active projects and installed systems carries forward under the Innova Technologies name. Your current contacts remain the right place to start, and we will communicate directly if an administrative record requires an update.
We appreciate the trust you have placed in us over the decades, and we look forward to continuing that work as Innova Technologies.
CEO, Innova Technologies
