Floating LIDARs Ace Gwynt y Môr Trials

RWE Innogy, together with the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) programme, completed a two year trial at what is soon to become the world’s second largest offshore wind farm.

They tested the Light Detection and Ranging units (LIDAR) technology mounted on floating buoys at the 576MW Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm in the Liverpool Bay.

The trial, which started in September 2012, assessed the effectiveness of the LIDAR prototypes in recording and analysing local wind conditions, after which DNV GL highlighted the new technology is capable of providing accurate wind speed measurements when the measurement buoys are exposed to waves, currents and tides.

Carbon Trust Chief Operating Officer, Michael Rea said: “The trials are significant for both individual projects and also for the offshore renewables industry as a whole.

“The Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) programme, developed and managed by the Carbon Trust, has the aim of reducing the cost of offshore wind power by 10 per cent in time for Round 3.”

Director of Offshore Wind at RWE Innogy, Paul Cowling, said: “Constructing offshore wind farms is immensely challenging and expensive and will continue to be so as projects move into deeper waters. What this trial has shown is the importance of research and development projects in helping the industry continue to find effective and innovative methods of utilising technology to reduce costs and improve efficiency.”

As part of the trial two LIDARs were mounted on buoys and installed close to the existing meteorological mast of Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm. Both units collected wind data, which was then compared with information from the met mast, with good results.

The two models trialled, include one manufactured by the Belgian company “FLiDAR”, and the other by the UK support services company “Babcock International Group”. The models differed in terms of design. The prototype developed by FLiDAR having a motion compensation with a Leosphere LIDAR system and the Babcock prototype being characterised by its low motion buoy design with a Natural Power ZephIR LIDAR system.

Image: babcockinternational