Second Wind Expands in European Wind Power Market

Already established in Europe as a developer of tower-based wind resource assessment systems, Second Wind is making deeper inroads due to growing adoption of the company’s Triton Sonic Wind Profiler. With 40 units already deployed in Europe, Second Wind will introduce a heated version of Triton to the European wind power industry at the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) Conference in Brussels next week. This version of Triton has an inbuilt catalytic heater to melt snow from the sound-reflecting mirror to enable high quality data recovery even during periods of heavy snowfall. Nearly 150 heater-equipped Tritons are already deployed throughout North America and have demonstrated their effectiveness through two winter seasons.

At the EWEA conference – Europe’s largest annual gathering of wind power developers, operators, suppliers, and researchers – Second Wind Chief Scientist Niels LaWhite and researcher Tom Langelier will present a poster entitled "Using Sodar Wind Speed Measurements for Wind Turbine Power Curves," documenting the results of a study conducted at the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN).

Second Wind will also demonstrate its SkyServe wind data service at the conference. SkyServe is a cloud-based wind data service that brings Triton and tower-based data into one dashboard, stores it on a secure server, and allows customers to easily access their data via the web.

"Second Wind has been a presence in the European wind market for more than 20 years with the success of its data loggers, anemometers, and tower-based measurement systems. With Triton and SkyServe, we are able to help the wind industry with a wider range of measurement solutions, including helping wind farm operators with their wind information needs," said Second Wind CEO Larry Letteney. "Market dynamics are shifting in a way that puts a premium on Triton’s combination of mobility, accuracy and reliability, and that’s reflected in more sales and interest from well-established wind power consultancies who are partnering with us."

Through 2010 and into 2011, Second Wind expanded on every front in the European market. The company hired a seasoned team to manage European sales and service. It also launched relationships with three companies to support Triton. Spanish wind energy services company Grupo Telsat and EuroService of Italy both became Triton Certified Partners in 2010, and UK-based renewable energy professional services provider Dulas launched a Triton rental business to serve its wind energy customers.

Triton is an advanced remote sensing system that uses sodar (sound detection and ranging) technology to measure wind in the areas that most affect a wind turbine’s performance. By measuring wind speeds at the turbine rotor’s hub height and beyond, Triton reduces uncertainty in annual energy production (AEP) forecasts. Easy to install and capable of autonomous operation, Tritons are being used throughout the wind industry, alone or in conjunction with met towers, to streamline the wind farm development process and to improve wind farm operations.

Second Wind develops wind measurement systems that make wind power pay off for consumers, investors and the environment. The company’s technology provides wind farm developers with the bankable wind data they need to plan, finance and operate highly efficient wind generation facilities. Second Wind’s systems are making wind farm development profitable in 50 countries on seven continents. Second Wind’s systems include Triton®, the wind industry’s leading remote sensing system; Nomad® 2 wind data logger systems; the ProMast 60™, a 60-meter meteorological mast; and the SkyServe® web-based data service.

www.secondwind.com