Wind consultants to use more sonar data

A company of wind energy consultants will expand its services with Second Wind Triton Sonic Wind Profiler from Second Wind Inc., Somerville, Mass. (secondwind.com) following a year of deploying the sodar units with its clients. The sonic wind profiler, a sodar unit (sound detection and ranging) detects wind speeds and directions at several intervals up to about 300 m. The unit works unattended to capture accurate wind data at wind turbine heights in any weather and location. Readings look like anemometry results and so need no expert analysis. Customers can access data in real time from any computer over the SkyServe satellite wind data service – available both for Triton and Second Wind Nomad 2 data loggers. Every 10 minutes, SkyServe transmits data from the Triton over the Globalstar satellite network. It combines weather data with precise time and location stamps, using GPS device.

The consulting firm, DNV-Global Energy Concepts (DNV-GEC), has been named by Second Wind as a Certified Triton Partner. The companies will work together to deliver Certified Triton installation, commissioning and relocation as well as planning, monitoring, analysis, reporting, and consulting services. Over the past year, DNV-GEC (globalenergyconcepts.com) analyzed data from Triton, the wind industry’s remote sensing system, in a variety of applications including wind resource assessment programs, micrositing, energy projections, and wind resource monitoring on operating wind farms. “Our work with Triton and other sodar units over the past year has convinced us that, when properly used, data from these units can add value to the energy projection,” said DNV-GEC Department Head Robert Poore.