A preliminary investigation of low-cost SODAR anemometry

This preliminary research examined the applicability of Mini Doppler SODAR (MDS - sonic detection and ranging) for wind characteristics assessment of a potential wind farm. The wind characteristics obtained from the MDS were compared with those from standard anemometers on a 70 m high observation tower located near the MDS on relatively flat terrain. The wind speed and direction data recorded from the MDS were in general agreement with those from the tower at each height except for Z = 30m. The wind speed profiles measured by these two methods at night agreed well. However, in the daytime the MDS underestimated the wind speed due to the effects of acoustic noise from surrounding activities, to turbulence caused by the wake of windbreaks and to convective instability. These results showed that the MDS might serve as useful equipment for the wind characteristics investigation after some improvement.