GE Renewable Energy has approved the use of the ZX TM nacelle-based continuous-wave scanning lidar from ZX Lidars for power performance testing.

Within the past year, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) released the standard IEC 61400-50-3, “Use of nacelle-mounted lidars for wind measurements.” In anticipation of and response to this new standard, GE Renewable Energy studied the use of these devices for power performance measurements.

This specific Lidar – ZX TM – allows the power curve of GE onshore wind turbines to be measured and verified as a function of the hub height wind speed and may be, when agreed with the customer, used instead of the procedure described in the IEC61400-12-1:2017 (ed. 1/ed. 2) using a meteorological mast and anemometry installation.

In addition to hub height measurements specifically used for power performance tests, operational rotor equivalent power curves can also be measured with ZX TM’s unique 50 points around the full rotor swept area, providing full veer and shear information, the company says. These measurements help to inform operational strategies relating to turbine performance outside of warranted conditions and may be particularly important for turbines with larger rotor diameters offshore and on sites with complex veer or shear profiles onshore.