Drones scout out locations for energy-generating wind turbines

Abstract

Along the northern coasts of Germany, wind turbines speckle the landscape, capitalizing on the flat, breezy countryside to generate renewable energy. But this region is far from the country’s industrial core, so the energy created here has to be transported across a great distance—an inefficient process. In contrast, the hilly Swabian Alps, which enjoy plenty of wind, directly border Germany’s industrial core. You might think this would be the ideal place for Germany’s wind energy installations. The problem here is that wind turbines work optimally when the breeze blows horizontally. And entrepreneurs worry that the wind turbulence created by the region’s undulating hills could kibosh the efficiency, and thus the success, of new wind energy installations. Here’s where drones equipped with turbulence sensors can help. These drones have the ability to scout out spots where the wind blows strongly and horizontally enough for turbines to be practical. Satellites don’t have