Coastal Wind Measurements Using a Single Scanning LiDAR

Abstract

A wind measurement campaign using a single scanning light detection and ranging (LiDAR) device was conducted at the Hazaki Oceanographical Research Station (HORS) on the Hazaki coast of Japan to evaluate the performance of the device for coastal wind measurements. The scanning LiDAR was deployed on the landward end of the HORS pier. We compared the wind speed and direction data recorded by the scanning LiDAR to the observations obtained from a vertical profiling LiDAR installed at the opposite end of the pier, 400 m from the scanning LiDAR. The best practice for offshore wind measurements using a single scanning LiDAR was evaluated by comparing results from a total of nine experiments using several different scanning settings. A two-parameter velocity volume processing (VVP) method was employed to retrieve the horizontal wind speed and direction from the radial wind speed. Our experiment showed that, at the current offshore site with a negligibly small vertical wind speed component, the accuracy of the scanning LiDAR wind speeds and directions was sensitive to the azimuth angle setting, but not to the elevation angle setting. In addition to the validations for the 10-minute mean wind speeds and directions, the application of LiDARs for the measurement of the turbulence intensity (TI) was also discussed by comparing the results with observations obtained from a sonic anemometer, mounted at the seaward end of the HORS pier, 400 m from the scanning LiDAR. The standard deviation obtained from the scanning LiDAR measurement showed a greater fluctuation than that obtained from the sonic anemometer measurement. However, the difference between the scanning LiDAR and sonic measurements appeared to be within an acceptable range for the wind turbine design. We discuss the variations in data availability and accuracy based on an analysis of the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) distribution and the goodness of fit for curve fitting via the VVP method.

Editorial for the Special Issue: Assessment of Renewable Energy Resources with Remote Sensing

“…This Special Issue encompasses two research articles focused on remote sensing applied to wind energy resource assessment. Shimada et al [3] compared the wind data recorded by a scanning LiDAR to the observations obtained by a vertical profiling LiDAR operating 400 m apart from each other. The authors executed nine experiments to identify the best practice for offshore wind measurements using the scanning LiDAR and discussed the variations in data availability and accuracy based on the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) distribution.…”

“…This Special Issue is comprised of ten research papers [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and one letter [11]. Figure 1 shows a pictorial word cloud of the Abstract contents of the eleven manuscripts, where the strong multi-disciplinary character of the remote sensing approaches applied to renewable energy is apparent.…”

“…Eight papers describe remote sensing approaches for solar energy applications; three of them focus on PV power generation [1,6,10]. Two articles are focused on wind energy, one using LiDAR measurements from the ground [3] and the other using scatterometers operating in several satellite missions [9]. The last article deals with two methodologies to evaluate the geothermal energy resource [5].…”

Coastal Wind Power in Southern Santa Catarina, Brazil

“…Although other studies have employed LIDAR in the world's coastal and offshore regions to assess wind resources [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28], few studies have investigated LIDAR observations in Brazil. Two pioneer studies monitored winds on the coast of Piauí [29,30], one for Espírito Santo State [31].…”

Influence of Ultrasonic Wind Sensor Position on Measurement Accuracy under Full-Scale Conditions

“…Various kinds of anemometers, differential pressure sensors, lidar, etc. are employed to study the effects of wind [ 2 , 3 , 4 ], whereas accelerometers or global positioning system (GPS) devices [ 5 , 6 , 7 ] are often necessary in dynamic tests of civil engineering structures. These types of measuring devices or systems are typically used to monitor the behavior of existing structures and are used much less frequently in the design stage.…”