ZX 300e Wind Lidar Achieves IEC 21- to 200-Metre Classification
The global wind industry continues its advances towards ever-larger turbines. Whereas hub heights of 80 to 100 metres were once considered tall, today’s turbines are routinely installed at hub heights exceeding 120 to 160 metres, with rotor diameters of 170 to 200 metres. This scale of technology demands a measurement solution that can provide finance-grade wind data across the full rotor swept area. Without such measurement certainty, wind projects risk underperformance, increased cost of capital, and reduced investor confidence.
By Alex Woodward and James G. Downs, ZX Lidars, UK
Meteorological masts once provided the benchmark for wind measurements in the industry, but at heights above 120 metres their deployment becomes increasingly impractical. Masts of 200 metres are rare, often unjustifiably expensive, and sensitive to raw material prices, and in many regions installation and maintenance is logistically challenging. This has accelerated the uptake of remote sensing devices (RSDs), particularly wind lidars. These instruments measure the wind remotely, profiling it vertically from ground level to hub height and beyond, without the structural, logistical, maintenance, health and safety, and planning constraints of a mast.
