Equinor Deploys Floating LiDAR Offshore New York

Equinor Wind US has deployed a Floating LiDAR at its offshore wind lease site in the New York Bight.

The Floating LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device will measure wind speed, wind direction, wave conditions and several other marine characteristics that help inform decisions in regard to the resource potential and eventual development of the wind farm. It will be deployed to record this information for two years.

“The deployment of this specialized buoy marks another step forward in the multi-year process of bringing a reliable source of renewable energy to the New York / New Jersey area,” Christer af Geijerstam, President, Equinor Wind US, said.

“The FLiDAR itself is an example of renewable energy innovation. The floating system, using solar panels, wind turbines and large batteries in its hull, can operate autonomously throughout a full winter season offshore New York. Access to good quality wind recordings like those provided by the FLiDAR system is essential to the development of any wind energy project today.”

Equinor Wind US won the federal lease auction of 80,000 acres south of New York and east of New Jersey in 2016. The company is currently developing projects in the lease area for the offshore-wind markets in New York and New Jersey, with the projects named Empire Wind in New York and Boardwalk Wind in New Jersey.

In December 2018, Equinor submitted a winning bid of USD 135 million for a lease area offshore Massachusetts in an auction held by the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.