UB Researchers Develop New Wind Prospecting System for Use in Marine Environments

A new wind prospecting system has been developed by the University of Barcelona (UB) and it has been specifically designed for use in marine environments.

A helium aerostat containing a module with positioning systems and meteorological sensors forms the basis of this wind project. This module senses the direction and strength of the wind, irrespective of the balloon’s position.

The prototype has been organized by Bernat Codina, a lecturer from the Department of Astronomy and Meteorology, and was developed by Andriy Lyasota, an aeronautical engineer in Russia. This prototype enables transmission of data by means of a Wi-Fi connection to the recording and monitoring unit sited on land. The anti-collision and position lights in the sensor module suspend the aerostat permanently in air.

The length of the prototype balloon is 3 m and is same as a saddled sea bream. This prototype design can survive winds for up to 150 km/h and achieves 150 m of height via a cable, which holds 600 kg. A real system prototype was developed by the UB scientists, during the phase I project. The results of the data collection and first flight tests are encouraging.

Wind energy is expected to be developed specifically from marine environments in the future. According to previous studies, huge investments were required to install measurement systems and meteorological towers on the maritime platforms. A helium aerostat will be installed in the system that was proposed by the UB researchers and will minimize the installation expenses.