Good things take time, great things take a little longer, as the saying goes. We are happy to announce that the two research wind turbines at the WindForS wind energy test site WINSENT have been installed this week by ZSW. It is a important milestone for the windenergy research community as this testing facility opens the door to new research and technology development that are urgently needed to accelerate the deployment of wind energy.
Do we really need another wind energy test site? Yes, this is a truly open and transparent wind energy research platform where all the information are openly accessible to researchers, from the information on inflow to wake delivered by 4 meteorological masts situated in front and behind each of the wind turbine and 3 scanning lidars. From the airfoil, blade structure, drivetrain, generator, tower to controller and electrical system, all the necessary models are available to the researchers to answer many of the questions posed by the ieawind grand challenges of wind energy.
The winsent test site is unique in the sense that it combines environmental research and technology development. We want wind energy to be a good neighbour to the inhabitants, the birds and the surrounding. Understanding the impacts and developing technologies to minimize the impact, such as AI vision to prevent bird collisions will contribute to further increase the acceptance in the society.
Thanks to Andreas Rettenmeier and the team at ZSW for the endless patience and persistence to reach this important milestone. We would like to acknowledge the support from the BMWK Federal Ministry for Economics Affairs and Climate and Ministry of the Environment Baden-Württemberg which are essential for the completion of the test site.