Inch Cape Completes LiDAR Campaign

Inch Cape Offshore Limited (ICOL) has completed a three-year LiDAR measurement campaign for the proposed 784MW Inch Cape offshore wind farm in Scotland.

The ZephIR LiDAR, attached to the world’s oldest surviving lighthouse at Bell Rock, measured the wind direction and velocity, with the information used to complement the wind data from the offshore met mast, installed in 2014.

According to ZephIR, the system was installed on the lighthouse with the help of a custom-built solution developed by Wood Group, former SgurrEnergy, which negated the need for an independent offshore structure.

“The ability to set up the Lidar system quickly and take wind measurements without the need for any additional infrastructure brought huge benefits to the project in terms of reducing costs, improving efficiency and staying on schedule,” John Reddish, Technical Manager at ICOL, said.

“The harsh Scottish coastal climate naturally brings challenges to overcome and we had the additional challenge of protecting the heritage of the Bell Rock lighthouse. Thanks to its small, compact size and robust design, ZephIR’s wind Lidar provided  non-intrusive technology that was resistant to the adverse effects of the environment and as a result, helped us gather the necessary data without the need for servicing or delays due to repairs.”

The analysis of the results showed no significant changes observed in the LiDAR’s performance during the measurement, the company said, adding that it required no servicing and reported no major faults for the duration of the project.

Pre- and post-deployment validations of the system were conducted against the 91m mast at the UK Remote Sensing Test Site.

Located some 15km off the Angus coast, the Inch Cape offshore wind project will comprise up to 72 turbines. The proposed wind farm is expected to enter construction in 2020.