Second Wind’s Triton, a ground-based profiling sensor, uses Sodar– SOund Detection And Ranging, a variation on radar with sound instead of radio waves – to measure wind speed, direction, and other data. The unit’s remote sensing gives complements tower-based data collection. It operates on only 7W from a battery and broadens the range of data available to wind companies for siting turbines in the most productive locations possible, profiling winds as high as 200 m up.

Realizing that managing data communications presents a problem, developer Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) brought in monitoring equipment to collect large accurate data sets for evaluating wind power potential even in remote sites. Expanding into more remote wind-site areas meant the company needed more data collection points unified by a communications network that allowed remote monitoring and management.

CPV VP and Manager of Canadian Operations for Wind Paul Wendelgass evaluated the company’s measurement strategies and recommended wind assessment equipment such as Nomad data loggers and the SkyServe satellite data service from Second Wind Inc. CPV had also previously adopted the firm’s Triton sonic wind profiler. “After evaluating our situation, we realized we needed flexible products that didn’t rely on spotty cell phone networks for communication and had an additional reporting element,” he says. “The Nomads provided a level of flexibility for adding wind vanes, temperature sensors, and barometers without additional work. The satellite service provides communication capabilities, real-time diagnostics, and when necessary, an ability to fix a problem soon after it’s detected.”

CPV’s renewable energy division is developing nearly 7,500 MW of wind power projects across North America with plans for more. For instance, the company recently began construction on a 152-MW wind farm in Woodward County, Oklahoma which is slated to go on-line later this year. Oklahoma Gas and Electric bought the first phase of the project and is delivering electricity into the grid.

The Nomad wind resource data logger compiles data from all industry-leading sensors and sends it to users through a range of remote communications options, including SkyServe

“It can take up to a year of data collecting and development activity to get a site approved,” says Wendelgass. One way to maximize its investment is with the data loggers and sodar units because once they have served their purpose at one site they can easily be moved to a new destination and put to work almost immediately. SkyServe then combines real-time and historical information for a comprehensive assessment of a site’s performance. “The Triton’s compact design means we don’t need special transports or armies of people to relocate them. Using them at several sites translates into a quicker return on investment,” adds Wendelgass.

Competitive Power Ventures Holdings LLC
www.cpv.com

Second Wind
secondwind.com