Nass&Wind Offshore, one of the leading French developers of offshore wind projects, commissioned a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) wind meter type device on 19 July installed on the terrace of the aerodrome of the île d’Yeu (France).
The laser on this new generation instrument sweeps the sky and measures the absolute speed of wind and turbulences in all directions up to an altitude of 200 metres, thus higher than the nacelle generally located 100 metres above sea level. The quality of the measurements taken from this secured and uniquely situated site will allow to determine, with the highest possible level of accuracy, the power production potential of the offshore wind farm project developed by Nass&Wind Offshore off the île d’Yeu and île de Noirmoutier.
The same type of device had been installed by Nass&Wind Offshore in September 2010 not far from the Guérande peninsula, for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm project awarded last April by the French government to a consortium formed by EDF Energies Nouvelles, DONG Energy, Alstom and Nass&Wind Offshore.
The data collected by these two devices will be compared and analysed daily for several months. They will allow the Nass&Wind Offshore team of engineers to obtain unique wind data correlation, essential to reliably assess the energy production of these future farms.
This provides a competitive edge to Nass&Wind Offshore as part of the discussions with energy providers and industrial partners with whom the company is considering to answer the second call for tenders for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms, which should be initiated by the French government in the coming months. The development of this project is eagerly expected by the economic players of the Pays de la Loire region and especially in Vendée, which consider it a guarantee to sustain and strengthen the activity generated by the construction of the offshore wind farm off Le Croisic.
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Offshore WIND staff, July 27, 2012