Second Wind Triton remote sensing technology reduces cost of wind project financing

Although solar is probably the most covered renewable energy by the media, wind power is also a viable source of renewable power.  Second Wind's recently released Triton remote sensing technology can be used in wind resource assessment, reducing the uncertainty of wind farm power projections and lowering the cost of wind project financing to utilities.

Sodar technology has been deployed in wind resource applications throughout the wind power industry, including in North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa and China, and remote sensing systems have gained acceptance by wind farm developers, operators and utilities. It is predicted that the use of remote sensing systems will continue to increase as they are being used in much greater numbers and for greater numbers of applications, including operations and maintenance, according to Naomi Pierce, a representative of Second Wind.

Wind farm operators are also beginning to deploy remote sensing systems in operations and maintenance applications. Better understanding of wind conditions allows the operators to predict maintenance needs, proactively shut down turbines when wind conditions are not optimal, and in some cases boost power productivity or reduce operating costs.

"Streamlining the process of wind farm development and having access to better quality wind information allows wind power developers to respond more nimbly to utility power needs," Pierce said in an interview with FierceEnergy. "And remote sensing systems allow utilities to better manage forecasting of wind resources on an hour-ahead or day-ahead basis."

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