Thursday, August 27, 2015

LIDAR equiped EOLOS buoy provides autonomous Marine Windfarm Data via Iridium

Maritime Journal - EOLOS buoy validated

The EOLOS Buoy is a fully autonomous and all-in-one system which can accurately measure wind, wave and current. It is based on a structural skeleton and mooring system to provide the necessary robustness to withstand the rough environment of the North Sea whilst at the same time reducing the weight of the system," commented Rajai Aghabi, CEO at EOLOS Floating Lidar Solutions.


Published on Sep 5, 2013
The Neptune Project is an initiative funded by KIC InnoEnergy within the renewable energy field. It consists of two products: the lidar buoy EOLOS, which is a wind measuring system that allows performing measurements at heights of more than 200 meters over the sea level, giving it a competitive advantage over masts; and the NEPTool, a highly accurate forecast software that can simulate wind, wave and current in a single tool, which represents an improvement over current commercial systems for measuring winds, sea waves and sea currents.

At the heart of the EOLOS system is UK firm ZephIR's LIDAR technology, based around a very stable and continuous-wave laser. It measures wind speeds remotely by using the Doppler effect, detecting the small frequency shifts of light that is back-scattered by tiny particles in the air around the test site.

This LIDAR buoy has four individual floats attached to the corners of the skeleton structure that provide the buoyancy and help to ensure good stability in rough seas. Enclosing the skeleton framework is a tapered compartment that provides a watertight environment to house all the electronic measuring equipment as well as the power supply equipment. The outside of this compartment has solar panel attached to provide some of the power whilst wind generators are attached to three of the corners with the fourth corner being dedicated to a communications mast. The mooring system on the buoy ensures that it lies in the same relative direction to wind in most conditions to ensure that the wind generators maximise their output.

Batteries provide a 48 hour back up in the event of calm and overcast conditions with sensors monitoring the power management. Data is sent to the shore via the Iridium satellite system and can also be accessed by Wi-fi from a nearby boat. The LIDAR system is mounted at the centre of the casing.

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