OWA to support state-of-the-art BEACon dual Doppler radar project to reduce cost of energy from offshore wind

The Carbon Trust today announced its support for a state-of-the-art technology trial, through its Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA), to understand the viability of using dual Doppler radar to produce high-resolution dynamic maps of the wind flow through and around a wind farm.

11 March 2015

The measurement campaign is part of OWA partner DONG Energy's BEACon (Beamed Radar for Energy Assessment and Site Conditions) research and development project. Two radar units will be installed in 2016 on the UK east coast near the Westermost Rough Offshore Wind Farm which is currently under construction. The 18 month measurement campaign, will focus on wind farm wakes, power curve measurements and wind turbine load validation.

A range of technologies including meteorological masts, fixed and floating LIDAR currently offer measurements at specific points in a wind farm, at any one time. Dual Doppler radar can scan over the entire site in a short time frame with unprecedented range and resolution, resulting in a holistic snap shot of wind behaviour around a wind farm. The measurement campaign will see dual Doppler radar tested in an offshore wind environment for the first time.

Understanding how wind flows through a wind farm is a critical aspect of reducing costs through improving turbine layouts, minimising adverse loads on the turbines, and improving confidence in wake models. The BEACon project, supported by the OWA defines a step-change in the way wind resource is measured in a wind farm, offering vastly increased measurement detail for a fraction of the capital cost of a traditional meteorological mast. Support from the OWA will bring wider experience to the project to help commercialise this promising technology quicker.

- Megan Smith, OWA Wakes and Wind Resource Research Project Manager

We are extremely pleased to have the Carbon Trust OWA on board the BEACon Project. This will anchor the project within the offshore wind Industry and furthermore the involvement of Carbon Trust OWA is a quality stamp for the BEACon Project and its targets towards lowering the cost of energy for offshore wind. The dual Doppler project has the potential to significantly benefit the offshore wind industry through significant cost reduction of capital expenditure.

- Jesper Skov Gretlund, Project Manager, Wind Power R&D, DONG Energy

Radar technologies have up until now been used for limited application in onshore wind farms. The OWA trial aims to improve the understanding of dual Doppler radar systems’ ability to produce reliable wind measurement when operating in the challenging conditions of marine environments. The potential benefits of the trial include reducing development costs by accelerating the commercialisation of RADAR measurement techniques, which are significantly lower cost than traditional meteorological masts; improving power curve measurements and validation across entire wind farm; and improving wake models and so further optimising wind farm layouts.

The BEACon project leads on from previous OWA projects on offshore wind measurements, including the floating LIDAR trials and the recently concluded wake effects measurement campaign at Rødsand II wind farm.


ENDS

For further information please contact Ainslie Macleod, PR Manager, at the Carbon Trust press office on 020 7170 7050 or email  Ainslie.macleod@carbontrust.com.

About the Carbon Trust

The Carbon Trust is an independent company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. The Carbon Trust:

  • advises businesses, governments and the public sector on opportunities in a sustainable, low-carbon world;
  • measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organisations, products and services;
  • helps develop and deploy low-carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power