Wind sensor
The wind sensor measures the current wind direction and wind speed. The sensor consists of a wind head with an anemometer and a wind vane attached to it.
Wind speed is measured by a cup set that rotates at a speed proportional to the wind speed. This cup set drives a cage with slots. This cage runs along an optical pickup. The frequency is proportional to the rotational speed of the cage.
The wind direction is determined by the position of the vane leaf. The vane axis is linked to a code generator, which displays the position of the vane in a code.
The wind head is equipped with two standard The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) instrument plugs, on which both the wind vane and the anemometer can be placed and fixed. The plug for the wind vane can be turned so that the wind vane is always pointed in the correct direction (towards north).
Data
The data collected with the wind sensor can be found in various places:
- Rijkswaterstaat Waterinfo and Rijkswaterstaat Waterberichtgeving provide access to the meteorological data of Landelijk Meetnet Water (LMW) (the National Water Monitoring Network).
- The LMW also sends the data directly to the KNMI data portal.
- The Digital North Sea Alliance website provides access to meteorological data for a number of wind farms in the North Sea.
Customers and applications
Customers include wind farm operators, energy traders, Rijkswaterstaat, the KNMI, skippers of Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs), major seaports, (commercial) shipping, the Coast Guard, incident organizations and recreationists.
The data is used for climatological research, maritime research and the development, calibration and validation of models.