The sensors for this huge project are being used to control the aviation obstruction lights on top of the turbines for its customer Orga BV. As part of the project, Siemens-Gamesa will install a SWS-050 sensor onto each selected wind turbine, which will have a maximum height of 251m above sea level and minimum capacity of 6MW. Altogether, Hollandse Kust Zuid is permitted to have 252 wind turbines in total.
Proven over many years in this application, the Biral’s SWS-050 visibility sensor is optimised for use where accurate and reliable visibility data is required. Its design and horizontal forward scatter measurement principle ensures reliable measurements in all weather conditions over an extended life-time of operation.
The SWS-050 comfortably operates in temperatures ranging from -40ºC to 60ºC and is unaffected by local lights or reflections. With a measurement range of 10m to 40km, the sensor is also suitable for use in road and aviation applications, as well as meteorological observation networks.
In addition, the measurement accuracy exceeds that specified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation for visibility sensors used in METAR and RVR applications.
Hollandse Kust Zuid will be built by energy firm Vattenfall in an area 18km off the coast of the Netherlands between The Hague and Zandvoort. It will be divided into four parcels, with the first two approximately 115km2 in size and the remaining two measuring about 110km2. The wind farm plans to be in operation by 2023, with a capacity of 770MW.
The construction of Hollandse Kust Zuid is the result of the Dutch government wanting to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by entering into a number of agreements. One of them is that by 2023, 16% of the energy consumed in the country will be generated in a sustainable way. By then, offshore wind farms will have to be supplying 4,500MW of power. At present, this figure stands at just 1,000MW.
Nathan Neal, Sales and Marketing Director at Biral, said, “This is a great project for Biral and we are very pleased to have won this significant contract in partnership with our friends from Orga B.V. who were up against stiff competition for the whole contract. .
“It clearly shows our technology, reliability and measuring accuracy leads the way in this often-difficult application. We look forward to building upon this with other major renewal energy contracts worldwide.”
