Space tech furthers wind power efficiency

The Efficiency of Wind Power

So, you've heard the idea of putting solar panels in space - but now, out of this world technology is looking to optimise the efficiency of wind power.

A French start-up company from ESA's Business Incubation Centre in the Netherlands has developed a small instrument to measure wind speed and direction from the ground up to heights of 200 metres - information that is vital when deciding where to build a wind turbine to produce electricity.

The French company Leasphere developed their Windcube using "lidar" (light detection and ranging) remote-sensing technology to measure wind speed and direction, turbulence and wind shear with extreme precision.

Global observations of wind profiles

This method - using a laser beam to measure the distance to objects - is very similar to the way sonar measures distances underwater using sound pulses.

But, more interestingly, the concept it also similar to what ESA will use on its Aeolus Earth Explorer Atmospheric Dynamics Mission, to provide global observations of wind profiles from space to improve the quality of weather forecasts, and to advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics and climate processes, as reported by WindDaily.com.

Aeolus is planned for launch in 2011.

Laurent Sauvage, Leosphere Scientific Director, said of the project: "Windcube sends laser pulses to measure wind characteristics. The laser light is scattered on its path by particles in the air, such as dust, water and a aerosols, and bounced back to an optical sensor.

"These signals capture the movement in atmosphere particles and by mathematical calculations we can determine the absolute wind speed and direction in the laser pulse's line of sight."

A major push to technology development

ESA gave the technology development a major push though its business incubation initiative. Errico Armandillo, Head of the Opto-Electronic Section at ESA, explained: "Our expertise from Aeolus turned out to be highly relevant for Leosphere's engineers in designing a system to best resist temperature variations, to optimise its weight and to define the best coating for the optics.

"Knowhow from ESA engineers on working in hostile space environments turned out to be very useful for them."

In order for future wind farms to be as efficient and profitable as possible, it is absolutely vital to have extensive knowledge of localised wind conditions, and this "space age" technology gives us the chance the really get the most out of the traditional wind turbine, which has come under criticism recently for its lack of efficiency.

Accurate wind measurement in remote locations

Critics argue that more wind passes around a turbine's blades than through its motor, but at least the technology from the ESA will mean wind conditions will no longer have to be estimated.

Klaus Andersen from Alpha Wind Energy, Denmark, says: "The Windcube fulfils our requirement to do accurate wind measurement in remote locations where a conventional mast is not feasible for various reasons. Leosphere has made it possible for Alpha Wind Energy to move into a new technology, which will make wind measurements possible in places previously inaccessible."

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