Floating Lidar System Weathers Major Storm
The EDP Inovação (EDPi) WindSentinel floating Lidar system has survived a major storm that ravaged the shores of Portugal near Viana do Castelo on 16 October 2014. Enduring gale force winds with gusts of over 90kmph and waves the size of three-storey buildings (10 metres high), the AXYS WindSentinel remained on-station and fully operational with 100% data availability.
The WindSentinel was selected for EDP’s Demowfloat campaign following a strict selection process that included performance under severe weather like that experienced off the coast of Portugal. Its performance during this storm validated the initial assessment, according to Carlos Martin Rivals, director of the Windfloat Atlantic Project.
A similar event occurred when Hurricane Sandy hit the WindSentinel deployed on Lake Michigan in 2012. Similarly the WindSentinel ran continuously with 100% data collection and performance through gusts of 107kmph winds and 10-metre waves.
Terry Tarle, CEO of AXYS Technologies, confirmed that the WindSentinel has continued to live up to its design specifications and collect wind resource assessment data during long-term deployments in extremely hostile marine environments.
Image: The Eye of the Storm as seen through WindSentinel WebCam 2.
