DNV GL announces successful verification of two nacelle-based LiDAR systems

DNV GL successfully completed its 100th LiDAR verification, with more than half of the campaigns conducted at the Janneby test site.

Verification of a nacelle-based LiDAR system.

HAMBURG, Germany, 20 September 2017 - DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and renewables certification body, today announced the successful verification of two nacelle-based LiDAR systems at their test site in Janneby, Northern Germany. The campaigns included the verification of an Avent WindIris 4-beam as well as an ZephIR DM LiDAR system.

Due to their compact build and high resolution, LiDAR systems have been widely adopted by the wind industry as a cost effective and useful tool for various applications such as wind resource and power curve measurements as well as turbine control. The test site at Janneby near the Baltic Sea provides optimal wind conditions for the verification of these innovative measuring systems.

“As a long-standing partner, DNV GL has supported us and our customers in the verification of numerous ground-based LiDAR systems. Thanks to the extension of the Janneby test site, DNV GL also provides ideal conditions for fast and efficient verification of nacelle-based systems with highly precise measurement results and considerable time savings”, said Peter Spencer, Director of Marketing and Product at Leosphere.

More than 100 successful LiDAR verifications successfully completed
DNV GL successfully completed its 100th LiDAR verification, with more than half of the campaigns conducted at the Janneby test site. The test site in Northern Germany was developed by DNV GL experts, Bürgerwindpark Janneby, and GEO Gesellschaft für Energie und Oekologie. It disposes of an accredited test laboratory for ground-based LiDAR verifications according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005.

DNV GL is among the pioneering experts in LiDAR technology. Already since 2005, the company has carried out measurements and verifications in this field, and its customers include numerous well-known manufacturers as well as wind farm developers.

“Remote sensing technologies, especially LiDAR systems, are becoming increasingly important in the wind industry,” said Andreas Schröter, Executive Vice President Central Europe and Mediterranean at DNV GL. “since 2005, we have been at the forefront of performing ground-based measurements and verifications. Now, we have extended our test site in Janneby and are pleased to announce the successful completion of the first two nacelle-based LiDAR system verifications.”

Janneby test site provides ideal technical and meteorological conditions
For traceable field measurements, the accuracy of the LiDAR system has to be determined by an independent service provider and evaluated in accordance with international standards and guidelines.

DNV GL’s remote sensing test site in Janneby, Northern Germany, provides optimal conditions both from a technical and meteorological perspective. The installation of 30 meter masts, which was carried out last year, is so far unique, permitting the alignment of nacelle-based LiDAR systems in a very similar way as they are used on a wind turbine.

Verification of nacelle-based LiDAR systems
The measurement setup for the verification of nacelle-based LiDAR systems includes one lattice mast, to install up to three LiDAR systems in 30 metres height. The measurement campaigns are based on the so-called white box concept.

Its distinctive feature is that all relevant input parameters used by the LiDAR algorithm for determining the output parameters are verified independently and afterwards combined to an overall uncertainty.

As with the ground-based systems where the so-called black box concept is used, the white box concept uses traditional sensors such as cup anemometers and wind vanes as a reference. In general, for nacelle-based LiDAR systems, DNV GL takes three different input parameters into account: radial wind speed, scan geometry, and inclinometers (tilt and roll angles). The verification is performed according to the best practice of the EUDP and UniTTe guidelines.

About DNV GL
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