Renewable resources account for only a small percentage of the energy the world consumes. The drive to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and produce energy from more environmentally friendly sources has led to an increasing number of projects to develop these resources.

The use of our dataloggers in renewable-energy applications is nothing new, but the recent surge of interest in renewable resources has triggered a corresponding increase in the need for quality measurements.

Because of this increased activity, we recently created a new application engineering group dedicated to supporting those who are developing or conducting research on these critical renewable resources. Our extensive experience combined with the versatility of our dataloggers can prove valuable to those who need quality measurements for their projects.

When the success of multimillion-dollar wind or solar farms can be determined by a difference of less than one percent between measured and actual values of wind speed or sunlight, some have found out the hard way that quality measurements matter. The need for making quality measurements over long periods of time, in harsh, remote sites (where renewable systems are often located), is what has attracted people to our dataloggers for years.

Below we list typical monitoring applications in four of the most common renewable-energy areas: wind, solar, hydropower, and geothermal.

Wind

Our systems are used in every stage of wind-power operations.

  • Wind-assessment systems provide
    data to determine the suitability
    of sites for wind power and the best
    wind turbine to use.
  • Turbine-performance systems
    monitor power generated and
    available wind to help verify manufacturers’
    turbine specifications.
  • Wind-forecasting stations placed
    strategically provide local meteorological
    data that can be combined
    with regional weather patterns
    to predict future wind and forecast
    power generation.

Solar

Campbell Scientific dataloggers are used in all types of solar energy applications, including photovoltaic, solar thermal, and concentrated solar power.

  • Site-assessment systems quantify
    a site’s suitability for solar energy
    production.
  • System-performance packages
    correlate incoming solar radiation
    with DC/AC output for manufacturer-
    specification validation and
    power-production maximization.
  • Comprehensive diagnostic kits
    pinpoint system failures, provide
    alarm capabilities, and collect
    valuable data for preventive
    maintenance.

Hydropower

Dams require a more diverse set of measurements.

  • Reservoir level-monitoring systems
    above the dam provide information
    for operating the power plant and
    maintaining the dam.
  • Equipment-performance systems
    monitor operational factors, such as
    RPMs on turbines, and can provide
    condition-based alarms.
  • Water-quality systems monitor
    parameters such as temperature and
    turbidity to help minimize the impact
    on fish and other wildlife.
  • Structural-monitoring systems keep
    an eye on bore holes and cracks to
    help identify problems with dams.

Geothermal

Geothermal applications typically involve measuring water temperature, level, and flow.

  • Monitoring systems at observation
    wells define the flow of groundwater
    and the hydraulic effects on the
    surrounding area—helping to determine
    a site’s suitability for geothermal
    projects or to plan well spacing.
  • Temperature-profiling systems provide
    data on temperature gradients
    in well casings.
  • Monitoring systems track time/temperature
    data, water levels, and water
    quality parameters, providing valuable
    decision-making data.

We look forward to providing key components that help develop renewable resources. Our new group will be actively creating resources to facilitate the use of measurement and control systems in this area.