MSc graduate looks back on unforgettable internship at DEIF
Exciting, cheerful, and unforgettable
“If I was to describe my work with the DEIF team in three words, they would definitely be ‘exciting’, ‘cheerful’, and ‘unforgettable’,” says Nataša Rašeta. She recently completed her master’s thesis while working as an intern at DEIF Wind Power Technology in Klagenfurt, Austria, and the high professional standards and great atmosphere blew her away. “To me, electrical engineering combined with artificial intelligence is really exciting, and I was able to work with that combination during my internship at DEIF. I also gained my first professional experience and made new friends. What more could I ask for?”
Natasa Rašeta
MSc graduate - Internship at DEIF
After completing her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Nataša went on to take a master’s degree in Distributed Energy Resources at the university of Novi Sad, Serbia. When the opportunity to complete her master’s thesis with DEIF arose, she did not hesitate: “Writing my thesis with this team gave me new and exciting challenges and introduced me to the world of artificial intelligence”, she says.
AI project with enormous potential
Nataša’s master thesis project, “Reinforcement Learning based yaw misalignment correction”, focused on using reinforcement learning (a particular type of machine learning) to find the optimal turbine yawing position, and therefore optimal power output, by trial and error in an interactive, simulated environment based on historical turbine data; a so-called digital twin. The potential in developing automated yaw correction systems is enormous; if successful, the technology can be used to continuously optimise the power production of individual turbines to current operating conditions. “I truly believe that the results of this project will serve as a good starting point for developing an intelligent and self-optimised yaw calibration method and, later on, a smart wind turbine”, comments Nataša.
Great support, and great atmosphere
DEIF wind power experts at the Austrian office provided guidance, suggestions, and support throughout the project. Nataša quickly felt right at home with DEIF because of the professional and proactive support – and because of the friendly atmosphere. “From day one, I felt more than welcome in the Austrian team”, she says. “Willingness to help in every aspect, cheerful spirit, and everyday motivation are just some of the things that I was experiencing every day during my time at the DEIF Austria office”.
Her thesis done, Nataša is moving on to new challenges. Her internship at DEIF opened her eyes to new possibilities and helped her kick-start an exciting career. “I have developed skills in the areas of data science and machine learning that have prepared me for the exciting world of data analytics”, she concludes. “I can certainly see my future career path developing in that direction. I would like to thank my mentor and other DEIF colleagues for their contributions to my project, and for a great time at DEIF. Words can’t describe the atmosphere in this office and all the good memories that will last!”