Wind Resource Assessment Lidar

The DOE is seeking to support the development of new, low-cost remote sensing systems to evaluate potential sites for wind turbines. The use of traditional meteorological towers with cup anemometers is becoming increasingly costly as the size and the complexity of the wind turbines continue to increase, requiring the installation and maintenance of taller towers. This project will develop a new autonomous Wind Resource Assessment Lidar system that combines two technologies: (1) coherent heterodyne detection technology assisted by highly-sensitive self-mixing interference in a laser cavity for wind velocity measurement, and (2) direct-detection Raman lidar for atmospheric temperature measurement. The system will measure wind and temperature at different heights between 10 m and 200 m from the ground, and will use these data to estimate such critical wind-assessment parameters as turbulence, shear, and stability. The resulting system will be solar powered, low cost, compact in size, transportable, autonomous, and will have high temporal and spatial resolution. In Phase I, a proof-of-concept prototype will be designed and built using commercial off-the-self components, and key parameters of the system ¿ velocity accuracy, temperature sensitivity, and range ¿ will be validated. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The wind resource assessment system would be used to effectively and accurately measure wind conditions and assess potential wind farm sites, allowing the installation wind turbines for efficient and durable wind energy production at a fraction of the cost of existing platforms. Other commercial applications of the proposed system include fire fighting and tracking the spread of polluted air via accurate wind velocity profiling.