Catch the Wind, Inc has recently introduced a forward-looking, laser-based wind sensor system capable of sensing wind speed and direction at a distance. Named the Vindicator, the system utilises the latest aerospace industry technology to provide advance control information to wind farm turbines.
The Vindicator uses laser Doppler techniques to "see the wind" in the distance in much the same way as radio frequency-based RADAR systems allow meteorologists to see storm patterns before they arrive. The Vindicator sensor will provide improved control data to the turbines, allowing them to adjust position and blades before the wind arrives rather than after. When in position on the top of a wind turbine, the Vindicator will be barely noticeable. Weighing about fifty pounds, its three eye-safe laser beams become the eyes of the turbine, creating a three-dimensional picture of the wind. Only the sensor lenses themselves will sit on top of the turbine. All of the laser and control electronics can be positioned at ground level.
