BBB Umwelttechnik GmbH, one of the most prestigious technical consulting firms in the field of renewable energies now offers laser-based wind measurements with their own LIDAR system.
Klaus Bergmann, one of the three managers and director of the BBB wind testing laboratory in Bavaria, esteems the great precision and the flexibility of the device, which is about the size of a refrigerator. "If it comes to realize a measurement in the short term at high altitude and to gain insights about a location, then with LIDAR - it's highly precise, extremely flexible and normally doesn't require approval".
During those LIDAR measurements the client has the opportunity to apply for a met mast building permit and then implement it. After a short period of parallel operation of LIDAR and met mast for validation purposes, the laser instrument could easily be relocated on the terrain. Customers benefit from a thorough and reliable measurement of the whole area, which significantly reduces project risks especially in wind farm planning in complex terrain.
Also the technical advances in the field of turbine design creates a need for the use of the new measurement technology, "especially through the large hub heights of the new genera-tion of turbines it is increasingly important to understand and to measure reliably the proc-esses in the higher layers of the atmosphere." Only the knowledge of the wind profile over the entire rotor surface up to a height of 200 meters allows reliable statements about the future earnings and the loads. Masts actually range to heights of about 140 meters.
The new acquisition also promises insights for Bergmann's work as an accredited wind assessor: "It allows us to validate our methods and models much better. Especially in forest areas it is increasingly important to achieve a convergence of the wind profile in the reality. "Current computer-generated models can only reproduce the conditions in such complex terrain with relatively high uncertainty."
To refrain entirely from measurements by mast, is still inconceivable for Bergmann. For ex-ample, the use of LIDAR for power curve measurements is not approved yet. But the wind specialist is confident: "The recognition in the wind industry has progressed quite far and the research has already gained much knowledge about this system. An initial recommendation for the practical application has already been released this year by DNV (Det Norske Veritas). I expect the certification within the next 12-24 months."
But even now the demand is high: For the first 6 months the unit is already fully booked, says Bergmann. "As you can see, the benefits of the technology have already been detected by the customers."
Klaus Bergmann, one of the three managers and director of the BBB wind testing laboratory in Bavaria, esteems the great precision and the flexibility of the device, which is about the size of a refrigerator. "If it comes to realize a measurement in the short term at high altitude and to gain insights about a location, then with LIDAR - it's highly precise, extremely flexible and normally doesn't require approval".
During those LIDAR measurements the client has the opportunity to apply for a met mast building permit and then implement it. After a short period of parallel operation of LIDAR and met mast for validation purposes, the laser instrument could easily be relocated on the terrain. Customers benefit from a thorough and reliable measurement of the whole area, which significantly reduces project risks especially in wind farm planning in complex terrain.
Also the technical advances in the field of turbine design creates a need for the use of the new measurement technology, "especially through the large hub heights of the new genera-tion of turbines it is increasingly important to understand and to measure reliably the proc-esses in the higher layers of the atmosphere." Only the knowledge of the wind profile over the entire rotor surface up to a height of 200 meters allows reliable statements about the future earnings and the loads. Masts actually range to heights of about 140 meters.
The new acquisition also promises insights for Bergmann's work as an accredited wind assessor: "It allows us to validate our methods and models much better. Especially in forest areas it is increasingly important to achieve a convergence of the wind profile in the reality. "Current computer-generated models can only reproduce the conditions in such complex terrain with relatively high uncertainty."
To refrain entirely from measurements by mast, is still inconceivable for Bergmann. For ex-ample, the use of LIDAR for power curve measurements is not approved yet. But the wind specialist is confident: "The recognition in the wind industry has progressed quite far and the research has already gained much knowledge about this system. An initial recommendation for the practical application has already been released this year by DNV (Det Norske Veritas). I expect the certification within the next 12-24 months."
But even now the demand is high: For the first 6 months the unit is already fully booked, says Bergmann. "As you can see, the benefits of the technology have already been detected by the customers."
