Under the project, about five different offshore wind measurement devices will be trialed at three North Sea Round 3 offshore sites, IJmuiden, Neart na Gaoithe and East Anglia.
The trials will be carried out as part of the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) RD&D programme.
OWA partners RWE, Mainstream Renewable Power and ScottishPower Renewables are supporting the project, which intends to test the accuracy of floating LiDAR collected wind speed, directional and turbulence data in comparison with a fixed met mast.
The project will feature units from Spain’s Eolos, Belgium-based FLiDAR, Canadian firm Axys and two other floating Lidar platforms installed at the North Sea sites.
Developers will install a fixed meteorological mast for about each GW of turbines deployed, which can cost up to €13m per mast for a far shore and deep water environment.
The Carbon Trust Wakes research project manager Megan Smith commented: "This is a very exciting project for the OWA as the commercialisation of floating LiDAR could lead to capex savings of up to 90% when compared to the cost of installing a meteorological mast, as well as additional opex savings."
The OWA joint industry project, which is part funded by DECC and the Scottish government, involves nine offshore wind developers with 72% of the UK’s licensed capacity, which intends to reduce the offshore wind cost by 10% by 2015.
Image: The LiDAR trials will be carried out as part of the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) RD&D programme. Photo: Courtesy of Carbon Trust.
