ASI Power Project Gallery

Wind Assessment Study gallery

	Installing the NRG Systems professional wind assessment sensors atop a 200 foot tall tower. Each boom (horizontal arm) holds either an anemometer to measure wind speed or a vane to measure wind direction. By measuring at different levels we can generate computer models of wind density, wind shear, and of course calculate which turbines would perform best in this location’s wind conditions.
	Beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean beyond can be observed from this coastal mountain ridge where the wind assessment tower is located, and where soon a large wind turbine may reside. At the base of the tower, booms and sensors are assembled and await  their turn to be lifted to the top of the tower and installed.
	Inside a weatherproof steel enclosure the data logger and radio or cellular communications package are mounted. A small solar panel on the enclosure’s door recharges the transmitter’s batteries – atop the enclosure a cell phone antennae rests. Each day the unit initiates a transmission and sends our office an e:mail with the data from the previous 24 hour period for analysis.
	As the sun sets in the West and the moon rises in the East we finish installing the logger and lightning protection systems. Now we wait for the winds (and data) to come!

Wind Assessment Study example:

A wind assessment study requires the careful monitoring of a location’s wind resources, ie wind speed, wind direction, and temperature. Such studies are performed in order to determine the suitability of a given location for the installation of wind turbines, as well as to help decide the optimal turbine size and technology for the given wind conditions and desired power output.

A combination of sensors, ie anemometers for wind speed and wind vanes for direction, along with a data logger to store the data, and sometimes a communications system (radio, cellular or even satellite communications), are all mounted on a tower to the same height as the envisioned wind turbines.

Depending on the size of the proposed project, ie whether it is an investment in a large commercial wind farm or a single small turbine for residential use, the study may last for anywhere from 6 months to 5 years.