Canada’s Axys Technologies has started collaborating with the Colorado-based Boulder Environmental Sciences & Technology (BEST) to design and deploy the world’s first buoy based microwave profiling radiometer on a floating platform, the FLiDAR WindSentinel.
Funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the BEST Marine Profiling Radiometer (MPR) is the world’s first microwave profiling radiometer specifically designed for deployment on a buoy.
“This is a significant first step towards the commercialization of the MPR,” said Marian Klein, CEO of BEST. “Once we have completed this work we will be ready to deploy the prototype and commence system testing.”
Once completed, the system is expected to enable users to measure vertical profiles of temperature and humidity within the atmospheric boundary layer and up to 10km above the floating platform, in addition to wind profiles up to 200m provided by the LiDAR.
There are no consistent systems that provide such measurements on a regular basis and so the newly observed data will lead to an improved understanding of the interaction and physics of the ocean and atmosphere, according to the companies.
“We are always looking for new applications and value we can bring to our client base,” said Terry Tarle, AXYS President & CEO. “Accurate temperature and humidity measurements will give clients in sectors such as offshore wind an important new data set to help them reduce the cost of offshore energy development. We look forward to working with BEST on this important initiative.”