AbstractIn this study, we propose the use of model‐based receding horizon control to enable a wind farm to provide secondary frequency regulation for a power grid. The controller is built by first proposing a time‐varying one‐dimensional wake model, which is validated against large eddy simulations of a wind farm at startup. This wake model is then used as a plant model for a closed‐loop receding horizon controller that uses wind speed measurements at each turbine as feedback. The control method is tested in large eddy simulations with actuator disk wind turbine models representing an 84‐turbine wind farm that aims to track sample frequency regulation reference signals spanning 40 min time intervals. This type of control generally requires wind turbines to reduce their power set points or curtail wind power output (derate the power output) by the same amount as the maximum upward variation in power level required by the reference signal. However, our control approach provides good tracking performance in the test system considered with only a 4% derate for a regulation signal with an 8% maximum upward variation. This performance improvement has the potential to reduce the opportunity cost associated with lost revenue in the bulk power market that is typically associated with providing frequency regulation services. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.