Lidar optimizes wind turbine output

Working with engineers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL; Boulder, CO USA), scientists from the University of Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany) have developed a control system that can optimize the energy extracted from wind turbines.

The system makes use of a light detection and ranging (lidar) system that measures the speed and direction of incoming wind before it interacts with the wind turbine rotor.

The wind measurements from the lidar system are used in conjunction with a feed-forward control system that enables the turbine to react to the changing wind field before it actually reaches the turbine's rotor.

In May, the system was installed on top of the nacelle of the two-bladed Controls Advanced Research Turbine CART2, located on the test site of the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC: Boulder, CO, USA) where it was successful in capturing the maximum amount of energy from the wind and reducing the loads on the turbine.

More information on the system can be found here.

-- by Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design