March 24, 2015 | Engineering + Technology
You know that the profitability of your wind farm depends on the performance of each turbine. Minor errors in yaw misalignment, blade pitch, and tip-speed ratio can affect power output and overall energy production. But how do you know when these issues are lurking on your project site?
Nacelle-mounted Lidar is one promising technology. Highly mobile, easy to install, and suitable for a variety of applications, Lidar is earning a reputation as a general diagnostic tool for turbine performance characterization and optimization.
In a recent issue of North American Windpower, I discussed the use of Lidar in the operations phase of the project lifecycle, including applications such as operational power curve, yaw misalignment correction, and wind sector curtailment optimization.