Second Wind’s presence in the growing Australian and New Zealand wind power markets more than doubled in 2010 as developers bought more Triton Sonic Wind Profilers and used the company’s SkyServe satellite wind data service to view and analyze wind information.
Second Wind received orders for 17 more Tritons from 12 Australian and New Zealand companies in 2010, bringing to 29 the number of systems deployed at wind farm sites in both countries. Several of the systems were ordered by existing Triton customers. Windlab Systems and a joint venture between Wind Prospect and CWP operate the largest Triton fleets in Australia. Both use five Tritons as part of their wind resource assessment operations. Both companies also use Second Wind’s Nomad 2 Wind Data Logger to gather data from met towers in wind resource assessment projects.
Since its launch in April 2008, Triton has demonstrated its value to customers through its high quality data, ease of deployment, autonomous and reliable operation, especially in many remote sites throughout Australia. Second Wind’s SkyServe satellite wind data service complements Triton’s versatility by providing real-time remote access to data from units deployed on remote sites. SkyServe also provides integrated data analysis and reporting tools.
‘The Australian wind power sector has grown by an average of 30 percent from year to year over the past decade and is projected to reach a capacity of 2,000 MW in 2011. Second Wind’s technology will support this growth,’ said Ian Lloyd-Besson, CEO of WISE, a Triton Certified Partner and global provider of energy data services. ‘Wind developers see Triton and SkyServe as a comprehensive wind data solution that combines front-line data collection with the back-end ability to see and analyze the data easily. Between Triton’s reliability and ease of deployment, and the tremendous capability SkyServe brings to understand wind information, Second Wind’s solutions are attracting an increasingly wider following in Australia and New Zealand.’
To support Second Wind’s customers in Australia and New Zealand, WISE, as a Triton Certified Partner, provides services including Triton installation, redeployment, and field service. WISE is also able to provide its customers with data management and analysis services and met tower/Triton correlation studies.
‘Triton fills our need for a versatile, durable wind measurement system that can collect data at a wide range of heights in almost any location,’ said Nathan Steggel of Windlab Systems, which owns and operates 17 Tritons, five of them in Australia. ‘By using SkyServe to view data from multiple Tritons, we can move much more quickly to determine our most promising sites. Windlab now has an active development portfolio exceeding 8,000 MW across four countries and Tritons combined with Windlab technology are helping us to successfully prosecute these projects.’
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 power 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.
