Manassas, Va.-based Catch the Wind Ltd. has released the preliminary results of a field trial with the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). The results show that the company's Vindicator laser wind sensor (LWS) successfully improved the alignment of a turbine against oncoming wind during a field trial.
During the trial, the Vindicator LWS improved the yaw alignment control of a wind turbine significantly over traditional wind vane measurement equipment, according to Catch the Wind. The company presented the preliminary results at the recent Canadian Wind Energy Association's Annual Conference in Toronto.
The trial program at NPPD's Ainsworth Wind Energy Facility is ongoing. The facility has 36 large wind turbines, each capable of generating up to 1.65 MW of energy, for a combined total of 59.4 MW.
The trial program was specifically designed to evaluate how using forward measurement of wind speed and direction can optimally align wind turbines with the approaching wind and reduce the off-axis stress loads on turbines.
SOURCE: Catch the Wind Ltd.
