The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has launched an onshore LiDAR verification service at its Levenmouth turbine in Fife, UK.
The onshore met mast at the 7MW demonstration turbine is said to enable testing, demonstration and validation of LiDAR systems thus providing resources and environmental data that help developers and manufacturers in comparing and validating new remote sensing techniques against traditional methods.
According to ORE Catapult, the new onshore capability complements its existing offshore floating LiDAR verification service using the Offshore Anemometry Hub (NOAH) located 3nm off the coast of Blyth, Northumberland.
“Installing met masts for monitoring environmental conditions at new offshore renewable installations is time-consuming and expensive. Lidar presents a more cost effective option for developers, but these technologies still need to be tested and verified against existing installations,” said Chris Hill , ORE Catapult’s Operational Performance Director.
“Our unique facilities at the 7MW Levenmouth Turbine, and at our test centre in Blyth, allow innovators to develop, test, demonstrate and validate new technologies and we are always expanding our facilities and capabilities to meet industry need. In this case, our met mast at Levenmouth represents the only coastal location in the UK that offers lidar verification services, making it ideal for developers to test and verify their remote sensor technologies.”
The Levenmouth turbine has been operational since March 2016. ORE Catapult recently secured a ten-year extension by the Scottish Government for operating the demonstration turbine until 2029.