Catch the Wind Ltd. has announced that the Wind Energy Institute of Canada (WEICan) has completed its final performance testing of a prototype of the Company's Vindicator laser wind sensor (LWS).
The Phase II test results demonstrated that the Vindicator LWS was able
to successfully control the wind turbine rotor direction in alignment
with the oncoming wind for increased energy output. Phase I test results
were reported on October 21, 2008. Yaw control, which involves aligning
a turbine's blades perpendicular to the oncoming wind, has
traditionally been a reactive process using weather vane-like
instruments that are located to sense the wind after it has passed
through the rotor blades. Catch the Wind's laser wind sensor, which
determines wind speed and direction as it approaches the turbine rotor,
makes it possible to proactively position a turbine for optimal
alignment. Improving yaw control alignment is a key requirement of the
wind energy industry as it results in reduced stress loads and improved
energy production output.
