A Good Mix: LIDAR and Wind Turbines

Extracting the maximum amount of energy out of the available wind is the ultimate goal for all wind farm operators. The structures are already constructed in areas that have been deemed appropriate for this type of exploitation, but even then a number of issues can arise. For instance, gusts of wind slamming the propellers of wind turbines head-on can do more harm than good, and so various mechanisms need to be set up to ensure a steady flow of electricity. Now, an innovation could increase wind turbine efficiency even further, Wired reports.

The system, which basically acts like a sonar for wind, could finally allow experts to benefit from what they refer to as “environmental awareness,” a phenomenon that in the near future will have nothing to do with actually going out and feeling the wind blowing. Experts designing these towering turbines will soon turn to lasers for augmented capabilities. They plan to use LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) systems to create maps of incoming winds. This will allow the turbines and their propellers enough time to adjust to the upcoming wind conditions, which will in turn translate into a smoother electricity production process, without spikes in efficiency.

With LIDAR systems, microscopically small particulates are bounced from the laser to the environment. The reflections are then fed into a fiber optic detector, which processes the signals, and develops a 3D map of the direction and speed of wind based on them. Then, in a fully-automated process, the computer adjusts the angle of the turbine blade to the extent needed to make the best of the incoming air masses. If the system detects an incoming gust of strong wind, it can then take the necessary actions to protect the propellers against the threats.

The startup company Catch the Wind was in charge of developing the Vindicator system. In the new technology's first test, a LIDAR-based device was installed on a single unit of a Nebraska Public Power District turbine. The augmentation increased the overall efficiency of the device by about 10 percent, which is absolutely amazing. According to experts, if adding LIDAR to turbines could have the same effect in all the wind farms in the United States – which currently produce some 35 gigawatts of electricity – production at the national level could increase by 3.5 gigawatts without adding a single extra turbine.