The basic idea of BBB‘s project is the development of a verification site in cooperation with the University of São Paulo which will also be used for scientific research. For that purpose a met mast and a remote sensing measurement station are to be installed at the site. Professor Ildo Sauer, director of the Institute for Energy and Environment strongly supported the project idea. At his University, Sauer is implementing a wind energy research cluster where students are trained to meet the demands of the Brazilian wind industry.
Laser-based LiDAR systems (Light Detection And Ranging) represent the state-of-the-art in wind measurement technology. Compared to the traditional measurement method by cup anemometers installed on met masts they provide a number of advantages: while having the same precision, LiDAR systems can be operated without permission and can easily be moved on the project site. But to ensure reliable data acquisition by means of a remote sensing device, it has to be verified against met mast data before and after each measurement campaign. For that purpose the verification site will be used.
BBB, which in Germany has 30 employees, is using LiDAR technology since 2011. With six company-owned systems it is Germany’s leading wind resource specialist in this technology. This expertise will now be contributed to the Brazilian project. BBB employees will hold guest lectures at the University and coordinate application-oriented research projects. Furthermore pioneer work will be done for the development of norms and standards in Brazil in the area of wind resource evaluation.
By all means the project will give tail wind for BBB’s market entry in Brazil. The company that recently has opened up a contact office in São José dos Campos benefits from a heightened market perceptibility and from the fact that it will have a verification site at its disposal.