World’s first radar for offshore wind power now delivers data

DONG Energy and SmartWind Technologies have installed an advanced radar system collecting three-dimensional data on the wind flow in the Westermost Rough Offshore Wind Farm off England’s east coast. The project, the first of its kind in the world, represents a paradigm shift in wind measurements.

DONG Energy recently started receiving three-dimensional data from the advanced BEACon radar located at the Westermost Rough Wind Farm on England’s east coast. “This is a huge step forward for wind insights,” explains Nicolai Gayle Nygaard, BEACon Technical Manager at DONG Energy:

“We’re getting minute-by-minute 3D images of the wind flow through the wind power plant. This is a game changer for the industry. We’re no longer limited to measuring the wind at just one point, now we can document the wind field across the entire wind power plant and coastal domain. Conventional measurement technologies are like using a torch in a dark room – you have a limited view. With the new radars, the entire room is flooded with light. We get new insights that provide valuable information for the design and operation of future wind power plants,” he says.

Texas-based SmartWind Technologies has developed and deployed the BEACon radar system. John Schroeder, Co-Founder of SmartWind Technologies, adds: “SmartWind Technologies has provided an advanced hardware and software solution to measure the complex flows at the Westermost Rough wind power plant and to reduce the generated complex data fields into a user-friendly format. The acquired data will facilitate long-term studies and aid real-time decision-making. Application of this new capability will undoubtedly drive down the cost of wind energy, and we’re proud to help DONG Energy achieve this goal.”

While the measurement campaign has just begun, the initial data is providing a wealth of detail on how the Westermost Rough wind turbine array interacts with the evolving wind field. Every week, the radars collect so much data that the information volume exceeds Wikipedia in size.

Jesper Skov Gretlund, BEACon Project Manager in DONG Energy, says: “We’re always looking for innovation and research partners with world-leading competences. We’ve found a perfect match in the BEACon project with a combination of revolutionary technology and working with a leading tech company in the emerging American market.”

Photo: courtesy of DONG Energy A/S.