ABSTRACTTo achieve load reduction and power optimization, wind turbine controllers design requires the availability of reliable control‐oriented linear models. These are needed for model‐based controller design. Model identification of wind turbine while operating in closed loop is an appropriate solution that has recently shown its capabilities when linear time‐invariant controllers and complicated control structures are present. However, the collective pitch control loop, one of the most important wind turbine loops, uses non‐linear controllers. Typically, this non‐linear controller is a combination of a linear controller and a gain scheduling. This paper presents a new algorithm for identification in closed‐loop operation that allows the use of this kind of non‐linear controllers. The algorithm is applied for identification the collective pitch demand to generator speed of a wind turbine at various operating points. The obtained models are presented and discussed from a control point of view. The validity of these models is illustrated by their use for the design of a linear fix robust controller. The performance based on simulation data of this linear controller is similar to that obtained with simulations based on a linear controller with gain scheduling, but its design and implementation is much simpler. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.