VisibleWind
VisibleWind™ is a program combining three complementary types of observation to characterize the 3D wind field at low altitudes within the boundary layer.
ValidWind
ValidWind™, a laser‐based balloon‐tracking system to measure wind power and stability, has been demonstrated through multiple environmental measurement campaigns. Now calibrated to national standards, the ValidWind system assesses the presence of winds reliable and strong enough to support wind‐power generation.
ValidWind is portable, inexpensive, and easy to set up and operate. It is suitable for assessment of local wind‐power resources at any community location. ValidWind has been tested in a variety of complex terrains and is now available for sponsored field studies of winds by interested organizations.
VolumeWind
VolumeWind™ is an eye‐safe lidar sensor being developed to detect the wind‐driven motion of aerosol features by dynamic volumetric imagery. A seven‐dimensional representation of the wind‐field will be produced, incorporating the six‐dimensional coordinate/velocity phase space plus time. The VolumeWind sensor and mapping system has multiple applications:
- Identifying vertical wind components — Most other wind characterization techniques cannot accurately measure vertical wind motion, but VolumeWind is equally sensitive to the vertical and horizontal components of the wind vectors. This capability enables more accurate analysis of small-scale atmospheric dynamics than is currently possible with remote wind sensing methods.
- Distinguishing 3D wind vectors from wave phenomena without ambiguity
- Observing detailed evolution of wakes and plumes, including waste gas from a stack, toxic releases from a localized accident, or emissions leaking from a facility or a pipe. This would be an improvement over current idealized models and even allow the use of real-time 3D dynamics in air quality or civil engineering studies.
- Detection and ranging of aerosol emissions from concealed vehicles and other threats on the battlefield.
VigilWind
 VigilWind moored aerostat balloons |
VigilWind™ is a readily deployable system for low‐cost monitoring of wind characteristics at an elevated point. A small aerostat balloon (1‐2 m diameter) provides the lift to raise a small wind sensor package (e.g., anemometer and wind‐vane) to the target altitude. Multiple tether lines constrain the aerostat to the specific test point, regardless of changes in wind velocity or direction.
This system will offer cross‐calibration with the other VisibleWind sensors as well as stability and repeatability essential for meteorology, particularly acoustic anemometry and turbulence monitoring. Compared to meteorology towers, deployment and repositioning are convenient. The height is adjustable up to 200 m, covering the full range of turbine‐mounting heights.
