'Windiness dashboard' set to benefit wind energy industry

Students from the University of Bristol’s Department of Computer Science will be involved in a new wind energy initiative from Lloyd’s Register — to develop and improve wind speed analysis and data for trend comparisons through the company’s ‘windiness dashboard’.

The initiative provides the wind farm industry with a platform to investigate wind speed and wind farm production trends, offering the prospect of transformative improvements in predicting future wind power production. Monitoring, recording and interpreting wind speed trends can be extremely valuable, enabling wind turbine and farm performance to be assessed and evaluated.

“Wind speed variability remains one of the most pressing issues for developers and operators of wind farms,” said David Pullinger, technical lead of energy resource services at Lloyd’s Register. “Wind is inherently variable and this has a significant impact on the financial returns of projects. By providing access to the accurate, clear and concise information the industry demands, this project will increase understanding of the risks involved, resulting in better decision-making.”

The windiness dashboard will help owners, investors and developers of wind farms assess, evaluate and predict efficiency and energy production, at all project stages from planning and development through to operation. The data shared will help to build up year-on-year trends, understand better the siting considerations for wind farm developments and provide a reliable and quality-driven index of wind data.

The initiative is currently attracting interest across a sector that is hungry for innovative new products and opportunities to introduce new talent to the wind sector. Lloyd’s Register experts will add further value in to this process by mentoring students in real-life experiences as product owners.

“The initiative is great for trying out new ideas and for students to explore technologies and learn software engineering in their computer science degree. We are delighted that we can support students from the University of Bristol in this way, and help support the next generation of technology and renewable scientists,” said Pullinger.

The project will run until April 2018, with Lloyd’s Register and the University of Bristol set to publish the outcome of the initiative and its initial findings in May. You can be kept informed on the progress of the initiative by subscribing at http://www.lr.org/en/wind/list-subscribe.aspx.