Dong Energy has commissioned an advanced radar system, the first of its kind in the world, at the 210MW Westermost Rough wind farm off the eastern coast of England.
The installation forms part of an 18-month measurement campaign, which focuses on wind farm wakes, power curve measurements and wind turbine load validation.
The campaign is part of Dong Energy's Beamed Radar for Energy Assessment and Site Conditions (BEACon) research and development project.
Developed and installed by Texas-based SmartWind Technologies, the BEACon radar is designed to collect three-dimensional data on the wind flow through the wind farm.
The company said that the project represents a paradigm shift in wind measurements and is a game changer for the industry.
Dong Energy BEACon technical manager Nicolai Gayle Nygaard said: “We’re no longer limited to measuring the wind at just one point, now we can document the wind field across the entire wind power plant and coastal domain.”
The radar has already commenced operations by sending minute-by-minute 3D images, providing details on how the Westermost Rough wind turbine array interacts with the evolving wind field.
The data is said to be vital for design and operation of future wind power plants.
SmartWind said that the data acquired from the radar will facilitate long-term studies in addition to helping in real-time decision-making.
SmartWind Technologies co-founder John Schroeder said: “SmartWind Technologies has provided an advanced hardware and software solution to measure the complex flows at the Westermost Rough wind power plant and to reduce the generated complex data fields into a user-friendly format.
“Application of this new capability will undoubtedly drive down the cost of wind energy, and we’re proud to help Dong Energy achieve this goal.”
Dong Energy noted that the initial data is providing details on how the Westermost Rough wind turbine array interacts with the evolving wind field.
Image: The SmartWind-built BEACon radar. Photo: courtesy of DONG Energy A/S.