Vaisala is providing measurement systems and services to Finnish wind power company, Puhuri Oy, which operates three wind projects and is developing several more in Finland. The agreement includes two Vaisala Triton Sonic Wind Profilers,1 which will be installed in northern Finland, as well as an annual SkyServe maintenance and data management contract. Furthermore, Vaisala will deliver the planning and wind resource evaluation services as part of the measurement campaign to help Puhuri better assess the performance potential of its proposed wind farms.
"It is important to get a reliable picture of wind characteristics in a region as quickly as possible," said Toni Krankkala, project director with Puhuri. "In a measurement campaign, it is easiest to start with a lightweight and mobile measuring device. If the results turn out to be promising, we can confidently make additional investment in the site with longer-term measurements and the installation of a meteorological mast."
Puhuri selected Vaisala as their supplier following careful evaluation. Krankkala says, "The Vaisala Triton has a proven track record as being a reliable, easy to use, and maintenance-free solution with extensive cold climate experience. In addition, its low power consumption, and the option of using a fuel cell or a solar panel to recharge the battery, means fewer visits are needed to the measuring site. This is important, as the locations we are studying are remote and difficult to access, particularly in the winter. Finally, the SkyServe service is very user friendly, and it provides near real-time information on the measurements."
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Vaisala, this is the first commercial agreement that combines the company's extensive wind energy expertise to benefit a single customer. "This is an important agreement for Vaisala," said Kai Konola,director of Vaisala's weather business area. "As the number of wind energy projects increase in Finland over the coming years, we want to a part of these developments."
REFERENCES
- The Vaisala Triton Sonic Wind Profiler is a SoDAR system that provides accurate wind measurement data for wind resource assessment and wind farm operations. The Triton accurately measures wind speed and direction across the full rotor sweep of a wind turbine. The technology behind the Triton was specifically designed for the commercial wind energy industry. Triton provides hub height wind data, which allows wind developers to optimize project financing packages and operators to gain valuable information about conditions that may impact current performance at existing wind farms.