Nacelle lidars have gained in importance in the last years – especially with regards to the verification of warranted power curves. “Measurements with nacelle lidars have the great advantage over classical power curve tests that there’s no need for the installation of a met mast”, explains Dr. Klaus Franke, head of Deutsche WindGuard Consulting’s calibration laboratory for remote sensing devices. “Especially in offshore measurements, nacelle lidars are a cost-efficient alternative.” While nacelle mounted lidars are not yet included in IEC standards, they are widely used for power curve verification measurements “We are part of an IEC task group that develops an IEC standard for the use of nacelle lidars in the frame of wind measurements, which will be published sometime next year”, adds Franke.
For each measurement, traceable sensors are absolutely essential. The calibrations are conducted on the existing WindGuard test field.