For the first time, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES is operating two different profiling Lidar types simultaneously on a Fraunhofer IWES Wind Lidar Buoy. The campaign aims to validate the suitability of both systems for offshore buoy deployment while exploring new measurement concepts to increase data availability and enable complementary measurement strategies.
As the first deployment of these next-gen Lidar units on a floating Lidar buoy, it also provides data to evaluate their performance under offshore conditions. It is being carried out as part of the “Wind-Lidar-Boje NG“ research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).
Since April 2026, a Lumibird’s BEAM6x WindPower and Vaisala’s WindCube 2.1 XP have been operating on a Fraunhofer IWES Wind Lidar Buoy in the North Sea. Both systems have been collecting measurements simultaneously since deployment. Fraunhofer IWES is validating the measurement data against the IEC Metmast and calibrated Lidars on the FINO3 platform while assessing the performance of both Lidar systems under identical offshore conditions. The campaign also evaluates a versatile dual-Lidar integration into the buoy’s energy system and the Lidars’ operational behavior in a dynamic environment.
Beyond the validation of new Lidar technologies, the Fraunhofer IWES project team is investigating the potential of a dual-Lidar configuration for offshore wind measurements.
“The dual-Lidar concept provides several advantages for offshore wind measurements,” said Stephan Stone, Group Leader Wind Measurement System Technology at Fraunhofer IWES. “This gives us greater flexibility in addressing different measurement requirements and customer needs. Depending on the application, two Lidar systems can be used either to increase data availability through redundancy or to collect complementary datasets using different measurement configurations.”
The two Lidar systems are housed in separate protective enclosures mounted on a shared support structure specifically developed for deployment on Fraunhofer IWES Wind Lidar Buoys. This modular design protects the instruments from wave-induced motion and corrosive marine conditions, before dedicated offshore adaptations by the manufacturers.
“Lumibird is delighted to contribute to this pioneering project, which aims to provide offshore wind farm developers with premium-quality wind data, combining high data availability with low measurement uncertainty, and including accurate turbulence intensity assessments,” said Alexandre Biasi, Business Development Manager at Lumibird.
“Fraunhofer IWES has long been a leader in floating lidar, and we are delighted that the WindCube® 2.1 XP is part of their newest design,” said Andrew Black, Senior Scientist, Vaisala. “There is a great, shared spirit of innovation at Fraunhofer IWES and at Vaisala. I expect a wave of new inventions based on the data from this buoy.”
More info www.fraunhofer.de
