BIG MONEY IN MEASURING THE WIND

Wind Forecasting and Data Analytics; Sodar and Lidar Remote Sensing Devices, Site Assessment and Permanent Met Towers, and Meteorological Software for Wind Forecasting: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts

2Q 2013 (Navigant Research)

“…[W]ind is now a mature source of commercial power generation…Wind forecasting practices and technologies are a key element of [the] rapid deployment of wind plants, and also help provide a solution to the increasing need for variable wind generation to integrate effectively on the larger power grid.

“Revolutionary changes are underway within the wind forecasting market, with the growing adoption of remote sensing technologies – including sound detection and ranging (sodar) and light detection and ranging (lidar) – that augment traditional meteorological (met) towers and anemometry. As turbine hub heights rise to 100 meters, standard met towers alone will not suffice for the rigorous early stage site assessment campaigns that are the catalyst for eventual construction of a wind plant…”

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“Navigant Research forecasts [the global combined market for met towers and remote sensing devices is expected to average $225 million per year [from 2012 through 2020]. Revenue will grow from $198 million in 2012 to approximately $301 million in 2020.

“Annual growth rates are projected to be highest in the developing markets of Asia Pacific and Latin America and top dollar amounts will be highest in Europe, where the most hardware will likely be installed]…”

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