PGE Baltica: wind measurement equipment is already heading from Spain to Władysławowo

PGE Baltica is preparing to start measuring wind, wave and sea current resources in the Baltic Sea for the Baltica 1 offshore wind power plant.

The measurement equipment is already heading from Spain to Władysławowo, where it will be assembled and from where it will sail to the Baltic Sea. The complex measuring equipment is placed on a special buoy, which will be installed about 80 km from the coast. However, it is not a small buoy, but an electronic float the size of a small car. From the outside, it is similar to a bathyscaph, although it will not submerge. It resembles a Martian rover, although it has no wheels. Instead, it has solar batteries, among other things.

How does it work? Wind measurements use LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. It uses the light of a laser beam, which is reflected from suspended matter in the air and returns to the device. By analysing the reflected signal, the device estimates the speed of the air masses moving over it. The equipment used allows wind surveys to be carried out more than 200 metres above sea level. Additional sensors mounted on the buoy also allow wave movements and currents to be measured.

The measuring device will float at sea for about two years. Such a period allows to collect representative data on meteorological conditions in the area intended for the construction of the power plant at sea.

The results of the measurements will provide invaluable knowledge for the next stages of development of the Baltica 1 project, in particular for the deployment of the turbines so that their power is used in the most efficient way.

source: PortalMorski.pl