Replacing Met Towers with Remote Sensing

Remote sensing of wind and thermodynamic profiles in the atmospheric boundary layer through the use of sodar, lidar, radar, microwave profiling radiometers, and other devices has become ever more feasible in the last decade. A large number of systems have made the step from lab or R&D tools to devices that are in every-day use in the wind energy industry for resource assessment, site operations, and R&D applications.

In this presentation I will highlight progress with the use of remote sensing in the wind industry over the last decade, show the current state of the industry, and describe some of the key challenges that are faced by end users when using remote sensing for wind energy applications. The role of organizations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind, International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) and certification agencies will also be described.

This presentation will present a "big picture" overview of the current state of the industry, and is intended to motivate future research and development collaborations between industry, academia, and government.