Abstract
LiDAR-based wind speed measurements have seen a significant increase in interest in wind energy. However, reconstruction of wind speed vector from a LiDAR-measured radial wind speed is still a challenge. Furthermore, for extensive application of LiDAR technology, it can be used as a means to validate simulation and analytical models. To that end, this study employed scanning Doppler LiDAR for assessment of wind fields at an offshore site and compared Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-based mesoscale simulations and several wake models with the measurements. Firstly, the effect of carrier-to-noise-ratio (CNR) and data availability on the quality of scanning LiDAR measurements was evaluated. Analysis of vertical profiles show that the average wind speed is higher for wind blowing from the sea than that blowing from the land. Furthermore, profiles obtained from the WRF simulation also show a similar tendency in the LiDAR measurements in general, though it overestimates the wind speeds at higher altitudes. A method for reconstruction of wind fields from plan-position indicator (PPI) and range height indicator (RHI) scans of LiDAR-measured line of sight velocities was then proposed and first used to investigate the effect of coastal terrain. An internal boundary layer with strong shear could be observed to develop from the coastline. Finally, the flow field around wind turbine was measured using PPI scan and used to validate wake models.
Highlights
Measurement and collection of accurate wind data is important for a range of wind energy applications, including wind resource evaluation for prospective wind farm sites, optimization of farm layouts, and control of turbines
The current work evaluated the performance of scanning Doppler LiDAR for wind resource measurement and analysis for wind energy applications
The measurement results were compared with Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulations and wake models
Summary
Measurement and collection of accurate wind data is important for a range of wind energy applications, including wind resource evaluation for prospective wind farm sites, optimization of farm layouts, and control of turbines. Remote sensing techniques and in particular LiDAR technologies are getting increasingly popular in wind energy research due to their ability to measure wind speeds over large regions and higher altitudes. Another crucial advantage of LiDARs over conventional meteorological masts is that the former provides flexibility regarding transportation and installation. This can be important for offshore sites, where installation of a meteorological tower with either a fixed or floating platform can be prohibitively expensive
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