Fugro has launched the Group’s new Seawatch Wind LiDAR Buoy. The new buoy is the result of a joint industry R&D project utilising offshore and wind technology expertise from Norwegian universities, research institutes, the energy company Statoil and Fugro Oceanor.
It accurately measures the speed and direction of wind across the diameter of wind turbine rotors in profile up to 300m heights, whilst additional oceanographic sensors measure ocean waves and current profiles. Validation of the Wind LiDAR Buoy took place at an exposed location off the coast of Norway. The tests were designed to compare wind data collected by the buoy to data from a similar LiDAR located on land and from a fixed met tower. Wind velocities up to 20 m/s and wave heights up to 5 metres were recorded. The average deviation in wind speed measurements between the Wind LiDAR Buoy and the reference stations was less than 2%. It’s built on the Seawatch Wavescan platform deployed by Fugro Oceanor and other Fugro Group companies since 1985. Its technology includes the GENI controller, a power management unit and the ZephIR LiDAR.
It accurately measures the speed and direction of wind across the diameter of wind turbine rotors in profile up to 300m heights, whilst additional oceanographic sensors measure ocean waves and current profiles. Validation of the Wind LiDAR Buoy took place at an exposed location off the coast of Norway. The tests were designed to compare wind data collected by the buoy to data from a similar LiDAR located on land and from a fixed met tower. Wind velocities up to 20 m/s and wave heights up to 5 metres were recorded. The average deviation in wind speed measurements between the Wind LiDAR Buoy and the reference stations was less than 2%. It’s built on the Seawatch Wavescan platform deployed by Fugro Oceanor and other Fugro Group companies since 1985. Its technology includes the GENI controller, a power management unit and the ZephIR LiDAR.
