LiDARs sole wind measurement tool

They stated that LiDAR technology had proved its ability to provide wind measurements as reliably as met masts and that LiDARs are faster, easier and much cheaper to deploy, enabling significant development and operational cost reductions.

At a seminar hosted by Leosphere at the Offshore Wind Conference 2017, industry professionals explained that years of successful LiDAR validation campaigns and strong competitiveness have led industry leaders to choose this technology over met masts for offshore wind feasibility studies as well as power curve verification tests.

Alexandre Sauvage, CEO of Leosphere, said: “Today, LiDARs are commercially ready and already used in major projects around the world. It’s a trend that is going to continue both offshore and onshore, even in complex flow sites.”

“It is now hopefully a mere question of time before the industry as a whole recognizes this technology, and IEC standards are adapted accordingly,” added Anders Thoft Marcussen, head of measurements at DONG Energy and chairman of the London LiDAR Seminar.

The wind experts used the 588MW 84 turbine Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm Ltd (BOWL) project in Scotland as an example. Its wind measurement campaign was carried out without the use of a met mast. BOWL chose instead to install two vertical profiler LiDARs which enabled project staff to start the measurement campaign much earlier and without the significant costs associated with installing an offshore met mast, they explained.

By Rebecca Jeffrey