It’s not exactly rocket science, but now that wind is measured with lidar, it’s worth taking a breath to actually think about what can be done first on a site. Not surprisingly as a lidar manufacturer writing this article, at ZX we say measure the wind first. But, when the goalposts have changed it really is worth seeing if you should adopt a different approach.
The role of lidar within wind measurement campaigns is routinely documented in wind energy publications, conferences, and in important, fundamental academic research. Often, the focus is on the types of and use of measurements/data that wind lidars offer. Sometimes overlooked is the ability to deploy lidar at speed; not only once on site, practically, due to the sensor itself being remote, i.e. at ground level, from the target, i.e. the wind, but actually often without the need for any planning permission whatsoever.
