“Vaisala offers a cost-competitive package for both the weather stations and tuning of satellite-derived irradiance data,” said Jeffrey Webber, Development Engineer at Cypress Creek Renewables, a U.S project developer and operator and an early adopter of the SP-12 Solar Weather Station who saw the value of working with a single provider for all solar resource assessment needs.
“Based on our previous experience with Vaisala 3TIER services and Vaisala’s reputation for weather measurement technology, we trusted the business as a one-stop shop for resource assessment. The installation process for our first two units went very smoothly, the stations are user-friendly to maintain, and we’ve been quite happy with the quality of the data. So much so that we are looking to install another unit very soon.”
Vaisala’s SP-12 Solar Weather Station
As the global solar sector matures and seeks to increase cost-competitiveness, developers, operators and an evolving investor base are placing growing scrutiny on energy uncertainty to appropriately manage project risk. For prospective and operational solar sites, adding reliable ground-based measurements to the long-term records provided by sophisticated weather models is essential for making bankable production estimates and operational decisions that impact project revenue. Vaisala provides a unique perspective to the market with its ability to provide both ground measurements and modeled data analysis.
“The key to achieving the ‘gold standard’ of bankable resource data lies in combining the long-term variability record provided by satellite models with the micro-climate context of the project site,” said Gwendalyn Bender, Head of Solar Product Development at Vaisala. “In practice, this means investing equally in both modeling ‘software’ and measurement ‘hardware’ – and that’s what Vaisala has done with the launch of SP-12.”
The SP-12 Solar Weather Station, available in multiple configurations, measures the full range of environmental parameters that affect solar project performance. The station, mounted on a 2-meter tower and booms, combines industry-leading Kipp & Zonen pyranometers with Vaisala’s next-generation WXT536 multi-weather sensor, capable of measuring wind speed and direction, ambient temperature, humidity, pressure and rainfall. An integrated thermistor assesses panel temperature for determining thermal losses.
These measurements are collected and relayed by Vaisala’s Nomad 3 Data Logger, a rugged and reliable device that provides real-time remote access to site data by means of Vaisala’s SkyServe web platform, FTP and SCADA integration.
The weather station is easy to install and configure and has low power requirements, standing up to the demands of long-term development and operational measurement campaigns in harsh climates and remote regions. In conjunction with Vaisala’s Solar Time Series Tools, the SP-12 station fulfills the equipment requirements of project developers, owners and engineers for tackling resource uncertainty throughout the project lifecycle.
A full specification sheet for the SP-12 Solar Weather Station is available here. For further information about how SP-12 fits into Vaisala’s platform of solar assessment and measurement services, please visit forms.vaisala.com/solar-tools.
For further information, please contact:
Francesca Davidson
Energy Communications Expert, Vaisala
Tel +1 206 708 8544
francesca.davidson@vaisala.com
Vaisala Energy
Weather provides the fuel for renewable energy projects and is one of the largest variables impacting production. Vaisala uses more than 80 years of weather expertise to help the global renewable energy industry develop and operate wind and solar projects better, faster and more efficiently. Our measurement, assessment, forecasting and asset management products and services leverage proven science and advanced technology to mitigate the impact of weather risks on energy generation and support profitable decision-making across the entire project lifecyle, from greenfield prospecting and due diligence through operational forecasting and plant optimization. www.vaisala.com/energy
About Vaisala
Vaisala is a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement. Building on 80 years of experience, Vaisala contributes to a better quality of life by providing a comprehensive range of innovative observation and measurement products and services for chosen weather-related and industrial markets. Headquartered in Finland, Vaisala employs approximately 1600 professionals worldwide and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchange. www.vaisala.com
