AXYS Technologies has announced that Grand Valley State University (GVSU) has completed the first phase of an offshore wind resource assessment on Lake Michigan.
The assessment used AXYS' WindSentinel technology, which has been retrieved from its offshore deployment location and returned to its home base, where it will spend the next three months. During this time, the joint project teams will complete their reviews of the initial system outputs, ranging from wind speed and turbulence to avian and bat information collected by the system.
According to AXYS, this is the first time that a full-production floating LIDAR device has been deployed for this length of time, and the system performed according to the design specifications.
"Weather wise, November and December are two of the most challenging months on the Great Lakes, so it was a good field test for the research buoy's capability," notes Arnold Boezaart, director of Grand Valley's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center.
"Despite the winter conditions on the lake, which saw ice buildup, sustained wind speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour and greater-than-20-foot wave heights, the system continued to operate through these events without missing a beat," adds Reo Phillips, director of operations at AXYS.
