Dutch National Lab Releases Final Report on Second Wind's Triton Sonic Wind Profiler
Somerville, Mass. and Petten, Netherlands, [WorldofRenewables.com]
Second Wind’s Triton® Sonic Wind Profiler, a ground-based remote sensing system used to measure the wind at the heights of commercial turbines, was confirmed as a valid stand-alone system for wind resource assessment by an Energy Research Center / Netherlands (ECN) study.
Conducted at the ECN Wind Turbine Test Site-Wieringermeer (EWTW), the ECN study compared data from a Triton to data from a 100-meter tall meteorological tower instrumented with anemometers and wind vanes at four different heights. The study compared measurements of wind speed and direction, as well as wind shear profiles, vertical wind speeds, and turbulence intensity.
“The Triton can be considered valid as a stand-alone system for wind resource assessments, especially given the industry’s tendency towards higher hub heights,” wrote the report’s authors. The report also highlights:
- Triton’s “excellent operational availability of 98.85% during the test period”
- Triton’s low maintenance requirements. “There has been no need for any service visits to the Triton over the past 5 months it is running at the EWTW test site.”
- Triton’s good performance at heights above 100 meters. “The wind speeds measured with the Triton above 100 meters are credible in comparison with the meteorological mast.”
“Given the wind industry’s tendency toward taller turbines, it is important that wind instruments be able to accurately measure wind at higher heights. The Triton performed well when tested in comparison with anemometers, the industry’s standard,” said Henk Oostrum, ECN’s Head of the Group Experiments & Measurements.
“ECN is an internationally respected research laboratory with a long history of research in the wind energy industry and we were pleased to work with them on this project. This study is important because it provides independent verification of the results we have obtained through dozens of our own correlation studies,” says Larry Letteney, CEO.
The three-month study, conducted last summer on a wind turbine test station at the independent national laboratory, concluded a year of travel for Second Wind’s demonstration Triton unit. The unit used in the study had been installed at outdoor demonstrations at over 20 separate sites in four countries and covered over 7,500 road miles in an open trailer prior to its installation at Wieringermeer.
Said Walter Sass, Second Wind’s executive chairman and CTO, “The fact that we selected a field-proven unit for this test underscores our confidence in Triton’s durability and reliability. ECN didn’t know they were getting our highest-mileage unit, but the results of the study speak for themselves.”
In addition to the high marks the report authors gave to Triton’s data, the study also noted that the Triton “is extremely easy to install and to collect data from.”
About ECN
The Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands – the leading Dutch energy innovation institute — develops high-quality knowledge and technology for the transition to sustainable energy management. And ECN introduces this knowledge and technology to the market. ECN’s focus is on energy conservation, sustainable energy and an efficient and clean use of fossil fuels.
About Second Wind Inc.
Second Wind Inc. is a leader in wind measurement and wind information technology. Founded in 1980, Second Wind advances the use of wind data to make wind energy more profitable for owners, painless for operators and practical for consumers. Key products include: Nomad® wind data logger and tower systems; Triton® sodar systems; and SkyServe® satellite wind data service. Second Wind is headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA, and is privately held. For more information on the Triton sonic wind profiler and Second Wind’s other products, visit www.secondwind.com.
About Second Wind’s Triton
Second Wind’s Triton Sonic Wind Profiler is a ground-based remote sensing system that uses sodar to measure wind up to and above the 140-meter blade tip height of current utility-grade wind turbines. Designed for wind energy applications including wind resource assessment, micro-siting of wind turbines and ongoing monitoring of wind conditions on working wind farms, Triton has been in commercial use since April 2008.
Source: Second Wind