The field trials were conducted off of Race Rocks Island, in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada, and were designed to determine if motion affected wind measurement by comparing the data collected by the Vindicator LWS on a moving WindSentinel buoy to wind data collected from a second, stationary Vindicator LWS on Race Rocks Island, 750 meters away.
Reo Phillips, manager of Axys product development, said: “The buoy worked flawlessly during the trials, with wind speeds that reached more than 80kmph and wave heights over four meters. We are currently analyzing the data in detail and expect a preliminary report ready for distribution early in the new year.”
As revealed previously, Axys and Catch the Wind entered into an OEM distribution agreement pursuant to which AXYS was granted a license to combine and integrate the Vindicator LWS with custom Axys salt/fresh water fixed and floating platforms, and sell the bundled products worldwide.
Phil Rogers, president and CEO of Catch the Wind, said: “We are very encouraged by the results of the latest field trials, which again validate the benefits of our laser wind sensing technology. We look forward to working with Axys Technologies and bringing the WindSentinel to market given the industry’s need to better determine the economic viability of off-shore wind energy projects before they are developed.”
The WindSentinel is designed to assist offshore wind farm developers in determining the available wind resource at potential wind farm sites. It is capable of measuring wind data at heights of conventional offshore wind turbines.
