Using radar technology, DONG Energy plans to pioneer a new method for measuring wind conditions in and around its offshore wind farms.
Two radars will be installed on the coast of Yorkshire in the northwest of England to measure conditions affecting the company’s Westermost Rough wind farm as part of DONG’s Beacon research and development project.
Next generation
The company SmartWind Technologies will provide a dual-Doppler radar system.
Nicolai Gayle Nygaard, the technical manager of the Beacon project at DONG Energy, described the advantages of the technology.
"The dual-Doppler radars represent the next generation of wind measurement technology,” he said.
“Contrary to standard measurement set-ups, such as a met mast or a profiling lidar that provides measurements of the wind speed and direction at a single position, the radars give us the ability to quickly scan the flow field in and around an entire wind farm with unprecedented range and resolution.”
DONG plans to use the data it gathers from the Beacon project to guide the development of new wind farm layouts and the design of turbine foundations with the ultimate goal of lowering the cost of electricity.
