Northern Power Systems Purchases Wind Iris Lidar from Renewable NRG Systems to Validate Power Curves & Conduct Product Testing

Renewable NRG Systems, a designer and manufacturer of decision support tools for the global renewable energy industry, has supplied a Wind Iris nacelle-mounted Lidar system to Northern Power Systems Corp. for the purpose of performing power curve testing and validation of the NPS 100 wind turbine platform. The Wind Iris will be used to measure the free stream wind speed ahead of the turbine, where the blocking effect is minimal.

The data compiled by the Wind Iris will allow NPS to determine the impact of different upgrades on wind turbine power performance. Additionally, it will enable the company to accurately characterize how the turbine anemometer and vane measurements are influenced by the rotation of the blades and the structure, known as the nacelle transfer function (NTF).

“We chose the Wind Iris because it is a flexible tool for measuring upstream wind speed,” said Chris McKay, director of product management at Northern Power Systems. “We can accurately verify the power curve of wind turbines without the additional cost and permitting challenges of installing a separate meteorological tower.”

NPS has deployed the Wind Iris on the Point Lookout project in Hempstead, N.Y. (Download Photo), where one of the NPS 100's is located. After testing is complete, NPS plans to redeploy the Wind Iris for product testing at additional sites, including Burke Mountain in East Burke, Vt., and Rock of Ages in Graniteville, Vt.

“With the Wind Iris, we’ll be able to quickly determine how the upgrade packages we are designing will affect performance,” noted McKay. “The hard data will show customers how they can benefit from those upgrades.”

Wind Iris is manufactured by Avent Lidar Technology, a joint venture between U.S.-based Renewable NRG Systems and France-based Leosphere. The first Lidar dedicated to turbine performance evaluation, it uses pulsed Lidar technology to measure horizontal wind speed and direction at distances of 40 to 400 meters upwind of the turbine. It has been specifically designed for repeat installations.


Learn more about Wind Iris at www.renewablenrgsystems.com/products/5977/wind-iris-lidar.aspx.

Northern Power Systems
www.northernpower.com

Renewable NRG Systems (formerly NRG Systems) 
www.renewablenrgsystems.com