ZX 300 Lidar operates autonomously in extreme Alaskan weather
Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA), a Cooperative provider of electric services in Alaska, is advancing its renewable energy efforts with the help of wind Lidar technology to remotely sense the available wind resource at prospective wind farm locations. As part of its goal to reduce carbon emissions, GVEA is exploring opportunities to expand electric supply from renewable energy sources, particularly wind power. To enhance its wind resource assessments, the cooperative is using the ZX 300 Lidar.
Under the expert guidance of DNV, Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) deployed the ZX 300 wind Lidar, paired with a MOBISMART HYBRID Clean Power Trailer, northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. Despite the area’s extreme weather — ranging from 85°F (30°C) in summer to -36°F (-38°C) in winter — the Lidar has been successfully operating autonomously, powered reliably by the off-grid MOBISMART HYBRID power trailer, ensuring a continuous and compatible energy supply and wind profile from the site.
Keith Palchikoff of GVEA shared his satisfaction with the deployment, stating, “We are thankful for the funding provided through the Renewable Energy Fund at Alaska Energy Authority to allow this project to commence as the state strives towards promoting renewable energy development. To date, we are delighted to have experienced no downtime whatsoever since the Lidar and power trailer were installed. Alaska presents unique weather challenges, and it’s great to have technology that operates autonomously in such conditions. At GVEA, we are committed to exploring every opportunity to provide sustainable power to our customers.”
It is planned that data gathered by GVEA from the energy assessments will be made public, encouraging private developers to submit proposals and potentially enter long-term power purchase agreements.
Irene Efston from MOBISMART added, “We are thrilled to support GVEA with a remote off-grid power solution for this project. Our HYBRID solar with integrated fuel cell power trailers are designed to work seamlessly with the ZX 300 wind Lidar because they’re easily deployed and will provide autonomous and dependable power 24/7, while monitored remotely in various environments and extreme climates. To support the growing demand for wind measurements, our power trailers can be available within 6 weeks from order, allowing fast deployment of the Lidar on site.”
With over 15,000 deployments in 100 countries globally, the ZX 300 wind Lidar is built to last and operate in extreme environments, simple and complex terrain, and in clear air, all with its survive-in-field attitude.
Interested in seeing more? Watch the video of the operating ZX 300 wind Lidar working in the extreme cold and snowy conditions of Alaska being powered by the MOBISMART HYBRID Clean Power Trailer here.
ENDS.
About ZX Lidars (formerly ZephIR Lidar)
ZX Lidars provides industry-leading wind lidar products, ZX 300, ZX 300M and ZX TM for wind energy and meteorological applications. These Lidars deliver accurate wind measurements in both onshore and offshore applications at measurement heights / ranges across the full swept area of the blades of modern wind turbines, and beyond. With more than 30 million hours of operation in the field and over 10,000 deployments (and counting), ZX Lidars has pioneered the use of Lidar in the wind industry. The company is proud of the many world firsts it has achieved with customers including: upwind measurements from a turbine nacelle, turbine wake studies, offshore deployments of both fixed and floating wind lidar, an industry-accepted validation process, re-financing and re-powering of a wind farm, successful demonstration of measurement accuracy in a wind tunnel and total wind project financing from a lidar without need for a met mast.
To find out more visit: www.zxlidars.com
About MOBISMART Clean Power Solutions Inc.
MOBISMART Clean Power Solutions is the leading manufacturer of autonomous, mobile and portable clean power solutions designed to provide a tactical advantage by reducing or eliminated the reliance on traditional diesel power generation. The hybrid integration of solar with fuel cell power generation and battery storage systems provides mission-critical power for wind lidar, telecom, construction, security and other applications in off-grid and remote locations especially in cold, extreme weather and harsh environments. Trailer-based or containerized, our clean power solutions are monitored and controlled remotely through cellular and/or satellite communication eliminating costly and time-consuming site visits for troubleshooting and maintenance required by carbon emitting diesel generators.
To find out more visit: www.mobismart.com
