RISO DTU, in Denmark, has completed the world’s first successful test on a wind turbine with a laser-based anemometer built into the spinner in order to increase electricity generation.
The results show that this system can predict wind direction, gusts of wind and turbulence, and increase power output by up to 5%.
It is suggested by Torben Mikkelsen, a professor at the institute, that suitably fitted wind turbines will, in the future, be able to increase energy production while reducing extreme loads by using this laser system, which he calls wind LIDAR.
“This new Danish laser technology means that wind turbines are able to ‘see’ the wind before it hits the blades,” said Mikkelsen.
“By ‘predicting’ the wind, the wind turbine can optimise its position and adjust the blades so that the wind is used more efficiently, and the wind turbine lives longer.”
The wind industry is now growing rapidly and the need for increasingly more efficient and reliable turbines is considerable. Mikkelsen claims that, by integrating “laser providence” and “smart blades” into the turbines, this will allow them to operate better and last longer.
It is expected that the technology can increase energy production by up to 5%, primarily because it is possible to use longer blades.
Compared with the Danish Energy Agency’s predictions, this technology could cut CO emissions by 25,000 tonnes by 2025 if every 10th turbine is equipped with a wind LIDAR.
At the same time, the technology can be combined with “smart blades” and thereby increase longevity.
LIDAR is also used, increasingly, to measure wind speeds during surveys prior to locating and constructing new windfarms.
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