Validation of the New Version of the WindCube Scan Lidar

For many applications, such as ensuring efficiency of future wind farms and characterizing wind hazards at ports, airports, or industrial plants, measuring accurate and precise wind is critical. Scanning Wind Lidars provide a solution to deliver demanding wind measurements, measuring in full hemisphere at multiple ranges around its location with multiple scanning patterns (azimuthal scans, elevation scans, etc.). Since their implementation, user feedbacks called for more flexibility in measurement modes, limitation of range ambiguities, and longer acquisition distances. For these reasons, a new version of the Windcube Scan was designed to overcome these limitations. An internal and external validation was performed over the last year to ensure acceptable behaviors and measurement performances of hardware/software components of outdoor/indoor measurements for established regulations.

The internal validation conducted within Vaisala France site near Paris consists of both an indoor and outdoor validation protocol. The indoor verification test, characterized as a patented indoor bench, aims at testing radial wind speed precision with intrinsic lidar parameters such as pulse shape, energy, etc. The outdoor validation follows guidelines set by the ISO 28902-2 as the lidar wind speed was compared to an ultrasonic anemometer on a meteorological tower 2.5km away. The instantaneous wind speed measurements from both devices are then compared for precision and accuracy with proper filtering of unsuitable weather conditions.  

External validation prompted collaboration with MeteoSwiss and DWD, both pioneers in the PROBE European project for large-scale remote-sensing deployment and data-sharing. Both organizations received the new version of WindCube Scan for a beta test. They gathered wind data at their sites and compared radial data to other remote sensing devices. All scanning patterns (PPI, RHI, DBS, VAD, fixed) were tested to verify the performances of different resolutions, data retrieval, and wind speed precision.

The results of this validation thus far show positive performance and noticeable improvements of the new version of the Windcube Scan. Additionally, the external validation collaboration with other PROBE members highlights the importance of fortifying and understanding remote sensing device precision and data collection methods for large-scale observational network integration.