ZephIR - case study 1 - CENER - Spain
The purpose of the CENER Wind Energy Department is to develop applied research activities and give technical advice in the field of wind energy, providing a service for all the sector players, such as developers, manufacturers, certification authorities, financial institutions, users, associations and administrative bodies, both at home and abroad. The aim, in short, is to improve the efficiency and therefore the competitiveness of an evolving sector. In this sense, the CENER Wind Energy Department is working on different research projects, on its own initiative and in cooperation with technological centres, institutions and companies.
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“During 2009 and 2010 the Wind energy Department of CENER is developing an experimental test site in complex terrain in the north of Spain, for the testing of multi-megawatt wind turbines, up to 120m hub height.
ZephIR is an integrated tool of this facility, which complements the measurements provided by the meteorological masts. In particular, ZephIR allows measuring the wind conditions up to heights greater than hub height. Moreover, the option for mobility that the lidar provides, allow us to measure upwind or downwind conditions when required. ZephIR has been integrated in the experimental site calibration, in order to allow for future use of the lidar as a complement to standard-compliant tests and research activities.
CENER’s previous experience with ZephIR lidar includes various measurement campaigns, mainly in complex terrain. Most of our activities have been carried out under the framework of the UpWind project (EU 6th Framework Program). The aim of our work has been to contribute to enhance the knowledge on the performance of this technology in complex terrain.
Particular cases of study have been the installation of a ZephIR lidar in the proximity of a wind turbine and IEC-compliant meteorological masts, in order to analyse the wind vector at various heights, wind shear and turbulence. During 2009 we carried out a power curve measurement according to IEC 61400-12-1, and in parallel used the ZephIR lidar data to provide wind profile information, in order to obtain a better understanding of the wind conditions across the rotor area, and study its effect on power production.
At the moment, we are using ZephIR to keep on with lidar-related research activities. In particular, within the SafeWind Project (EU 7th Framework Program), which focuses on extreme events, we are working on the creation of a long-term database of lidar measurements in complex terrain. One of CENER’s tasks in this project is to investigate the benefits of new measurement techniques (remote sensing) for resource assessment and forecasting purposes.”
