Wood Puts Galion Radar Through Paces

Wood has completed the first commercial lidar test at Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s Levenmouth offshore wind demonstration turbine.

Wood tested its Galion lidar system at the onshore met mast of the 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine located on the Fife coast in the UK.

According to the UK company, the test was completed ahead of schedule, in one month instead of the planned three-month test programme, due to the abundant wind resource at the site.

“Wood is delighted to have had the opportunity to access ORE Catapult’s new lidar test facility at the Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine site,” said Alan Mortimer, Wood’s Director of Innovation.

“We are extremely grateful to be the first company to utilise the test site for the performance verification of one of our Galion Lidar G250 models, which achieved an excellent pass. We envisage many more lidar performance verifications at this test site in the months and years ahead.”

In September 2018, the Scottish Government awarded ORE Catapult with a ten-year extension for operating its Levenmouth demonstration turbine, which will be used for testing and developing new technologies until 2029.

“The unique position of the Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine and its met mast, being classed as an offshore wind turbine but accessible from the shore, means the wind resource is excellent and typically representative of what developers might experience offshore,” said Chris Hill, ORE Catapult’s Operational Performance Director.

“Our site represents the only coastal location in the UK that offers lidar verification services, enabling Levenmouth to become a premier location for lidar testing in Europe, and the outstanding success of this first commercial test means we are now fully open for business.”