A system and method for operating a wind energy installation or wind farm. The system includes a control unit configured to process control variables and a transfer module. The transfer module has an input interface for receiving control commands and an output interface for transmitting control variables to the control unit. The transfer module has multiple transfer logic elements each configured to convert a control command to a control variable. The transfer module has a switching device for switching between the transfer logic elements. As a result, the wind energy installation or wind farm can be connected to an electrical grid in which the control commands are transmitted in a different format than that of the control variables of the control unit.