idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Following its certification as Stage 3 in 2024, the Floating Lidar System (FLS) developed, manufactured and operated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, is the first FLS to achieve Stage 3+ under the third version of the OWA Roadmap (2025). This milestone demonstrates refined accuracy and the capacity to deliver viable Turbulence Intensity (TI) measurements.
By providing validated TI measurements the Fraunhofer IWES Wind Lidar Buoy significantly reduces uncertainty in offshore wind site assessment and strengthens the basis for site suitability assessments and bankable project decisions. Fraunhofer IWES commissioned Oldbaum Services Ltd. to independently assess an extended body of evidence. Andy Oldroyd, Oldbaum Services Director, stated: “Oldbaum are delighted to confirm that based on our independent assessment, we certify that the floating lidar system supplied by Fraunhofer IWES of type Wind Lidar Buoy - ZX Lidar (WLBZ) has achieved Stage 3+ designation according to The Carbon Trust Roadmap for the Commercial Acceptance of Floating Lidar Systems Version 3.0 (June 2025).”
This is the highest level of commercial acceptance validation under the Carbon Trust OWA Roadmap for floating Lidar technology. Fraunhofer IWES continues developing offshore measurement capability and demonstrating the best possible measurement accuracy and operational reliability for the industry.
“We are proud to be able to demonstrate to the offshore wind industry that we can reach this latest pre-normative milestone, and that our research efforts translate into further methodological and accuracy advancement to the benefit of our clients.” added Loïs Legendre, Project Manager Wind Measurement at Fraunhofer IWES. Maximizing the quality of the field measurements is very important to provide the best possible estimate of the wind conditions and the expected energy yield of a wind farm derived therefrom. A key contribution to this measurement quality is the reliable determination of turbulence intensity under offshore conditions.
High-accuracy TI measurement through motion compensation
Extensive offshore verification trials prove that the TI measurements of the Fraunhofer IWES buoy fully satisfy all requirements defined in the Carbon Trust Roadmap. This was achieved by Fraunhofer IWESs recent scientific advancements, published in peer-reviewed publications, which allow the derivation of high-accuracy TI data using a high-frequency, deterministic motion compensation method. This advanced approach for Floating Lidar System compensates for motion effects directly at the line-of-sight level by combining high-frequency motion data with time synchronized lidar measurements.
As a purely physics-based approach, the method offers full transparency and traceability, without dependence on black-box models or machine learning. It does not rely on training data and is not site dependent. The algorithm improves the precision and reliability of TI measurements, provides deeper insight into offshore atmospheric turbulence, and builds confidence in the data.
What Stage 3+ adds in OWA Roadmap v3.0
This third version of the OWA roadmap specifically adds the assessment of TI and the presentation of error metrics used to examine FLS performance.
Outlook
Fraunhofer IWES will be at the WindEurope in Madrid, April 21-23, 2026 at booth 9-H120, to present and discuss their current research and commercial offer for the offshore wind energy sector.
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Contact partner at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES
Loïs Legendre
Project Manager Wind Measurement
Phone: +44 7564043830
Email: lois.legendre@iwes-extern.fraunhofer.de
Erik Patschke
Business Developer Offshore Wind Energy
Phone: +49 471 14290-315
Email: erik.patschke@iwes.fraunhofer.de
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Fraunhofer IWES
The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES conducts application-oriented research for a sustainable future. The focus topics of the Fraunhofer IWES are offshore, hydrogen, test infrastructure and digitalization. The research work in these future-oriented key technologies plays a central role in the innovation process and strengthens the business location for the benefit of our society by transferring the research results to industry. More than 400 employees at nine locations are developing innovative methods to accelerate the expansion of the wind energy and hydrogen economy, minimize risks, and increase cost efficiency.
Loïs Legendre
Project Manager Wind Measurement
Phone: +44 7564043830
Email: lois.legendre@iwes-extern.fraunhofer.de
Erik Patschke
Business Developer Offshore Wind Energy
Phone: +49 471 14290-315
Email: erik.patschke@iwes.fraunhofer.de
A Fraunhofer IWES Wind Lidar Buoy equipped with ZX in calibration against FINO3 Metmast
Copyright: © Fraunhofer IWES / Peter Rohde
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A Fraunhofer IWES Wind Lidar Buoy equipped with ZX in calibration against FINO3 Metmast
Copyright: © Fraunhofer IWES / Peter Rohde
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