About Task 32
Task 32 provides a platform for the open exchange of ideas,
experience, and techniques for the use of lidar for wind energy applications
Since 2012 Task 32 has built a strong community that works together to identify and mitigate the barriers to the adoption of wind lidar for wind energy applications.
We do this by providing a structured forum for international collaborations between researchers, vendors, and users to exchange needs, ideas, and experiences.
The Task focuses on producing tangible results such as recommended practices that can be used by practitioners. And, Task 32 continues to work in collaboration with other IEA Wind Tasks and related industry and academic groups to help encourage scientific investigations and align them with users’ needs.
Our Objectives
Task 32 exists to enable exchange of experience and ideas between the many different stakeholders that are involved with the use of wind lidar by the wind industry, helping everyone make the best use of wind lidar.
Application Areas
We focus on four wind energy applications, including site assessment, power performance, loads and control, and complex flow. We also explore new ideas that are still in early research stages.
Our approach
We organize annual General Meetings to build our community, hold dedicated workshops, and have working groups to focus on specific barriers to the adoption of lidar technology. Each group comes up with a way to make progress with the support of the Task.
Our Objectives
Wind lidar allows lots of information about wind characteristics to be collected at wind energy development sites before they are built, during their construction and commissioning, and during operations. Designing, selecting, installing, and operating such devices effectively, and making appropriate decisions from the data they provide, requires new understanding and approaches compared to other sources of data but also brings new possibilities.
Task 32 exists to enable the exchange of experience and ideas between the many different stakeholders that are involved with the use of wind lidar by the wind industry, helping everyone make the best use of wind lidar.
Our Plans
IEA Wind Task 32 operates on a 3-year planning schedule. At the end of every three years we set out a new plan, and those are reviewed by the IEA Wind Executive Committee. Below are our plans from 2011 on. We also regularly publish a roadmap so that our stakeholders can see how things fit together.
Phase I (2011 – 2015)
Updated April 2013
Phase II (2016-2018)
September, 2015
Phase III (2019-2021)
November 2018
Our Roadmap
October 2019
Application Areas
The general objective of Task 32 is to identify and mitigate barriers to the use of lidar for four wind energy applications, including site assessment, power performance, loads and control, and complex flow.
These four applications are addressed individually as they are on different technology readiness levels. Specific objectives for the application areas are:
Site Assessment
- Revise the IEA Recommended Practices #15 for ground-based remote sensing for wind resource assessment and the IEA Recommended Practices #18 for floating lidar systems.
- Explore ways to improve lidar systems regarding cost, reliability, and accuracy.
Power Performance
- Identify gaps in standards and transferability that may prevent widespread adoption.
- Explore if and how new standards for the use of ground-based lidar systems need to be adapted for the use of nacelle or spinner-based or floating lidar systems.
Loads and Control
- Explore the benefits of lidar-assisted control for the cost of wind energy.
- Give recommendations on how to improve lidar systems for control applications.
- Initiate guidelines on how to use lidar in the load verification process of wind turbines.
Complex Flow
- Understand the need for measurements of complex flow in wind energy and describe the limitations of lidar systems to provide recommendations for adjustments.
- Find metrics to compare flow simulations and lidar field measurements.
Workshops will be held for each of the applications and reports will summarize how the objectives have been accomplished, including the revision of two IEA Recommended Practices.
Management Structure
As with any IEA Task, the Operating Agent is responsible for the management of the Task and is the single point of contact of the task with the IEA Wind Executive Committee (ExCo). In addition, an Advisory Board with key experts from academia and industry assists the Operating Agent to align workshop topics to actual needs, and to keep the Task useful for the whole community.
The workshops are organized by the Operating Agent together with the Advisory Board and Workshop Leaders (WL) who are deeply knowledgeable about the workshop topic.
Operating Agents
The Operating Agent is the executive body for Task 32. The tasks and responsibilities of the Operating Agent are:
- Act as the single point of contact of the task with the IEA.
- Decisions for workshop topics and nomination of workshop leaders.
- Organization of the general meetings and Advisory Board meetings, chairing the meetings, and preparing the minutes of the Advisory Board meetings.
- Organization of the workshops in collaboration with the workshop leaders.
- Collecting, reviewing, and submitting information on the progress of the task, reports, and financial statements to the IEA.
- Compilation of the annual progress and of the contribution to the Annual IEA Wind Report.
- Dissemination, e.g. through the newsletter and homepage.
Task 32 is managed by the Chair of Wind Energy (SWE) at the University of Stuttgart in cooperation with the Wind Energy Technology Institute (WETI) of the University of Applied Sciences of Flensburg. SWE is responsible for most administrative activities within the Task and is the point of contact of the Task to the IEA Wind Executive Committee (ExCo). SWE is also the first point of contact for Task members.
Stuttgart Wind Energy (SWE) at the University Of Stuttgart
SWE carries out research in testing and measurement, conceptual design and system simulation, control, optimization, monitoring, and more.
Operating Agent’s Representative: Andrew Clifton
More information and direct contact
Bank connection
The following information is provided for convenience. Please see our invoices for details.
Bank: Baden-Württembergische Bank Stuttgart – BW-Bank
IBAN: DE51 6005 0101 7871 5216 87
SWIFT/BIC: SOLADESTXXX
WETI – Flensburg University of Applied Sciences
Since its foundation in 2010 the Wind Energy Technology Institute has taken research on wind energy in a storm. The researchers at the WETI are particularly interested in the control of wind turbines, questions on grid integration, and tower concepts.
Operating Agent’s Representative: David Schlipf
Advisory Board
The current Task 32 Advisory Board members are listed below
The Advisory Board is the supportive body for the decision-making of the task. The Advisory Board consists of experts from academia and industry selected by the Operating Agent with strong expertise in one of Task 32’s Application Areas.
The tasks and responsibilities of the Advisory Board Members are:
- Advice on decisions for location, time, and content of the general meeting
- Advice on decisions for workshops topics and nomination of workshop leaders
- Overall progress control against task objectives and recommendations on modifications if deemed necessary
- Recommendation on integration of new experts to the board
