NRG Systems has announced that it has acquired a portfolio of advanced technology developed by Pentalum, an Israeli company that specialised in remote sensing solutions for wind measurement. Founded in 2009, Pentalum pioneered low-cost Lidar solutions that have been deployed by customers in the wind resource assessment, wind farm operations, forecasting and research markets globally.
Pentalum’s principal innovation was its patented Direct Detect Lidar technology that is able to deliver the precision and reliability of Lidar at a significantly lower cost compared to conventional Doppler Lidar technologies. Pentalum deployed this technology in their SpiDAR Vertical Wind Profiler beginning in 2012 and it is now in use on five continents. NRG Systems’ President, Justin Wheating, commented, “NRG has played an active role in the global wind energy market for over three decades and we recognise the growing importance of Lidar in resource measurement and wind farm operations. Pentalum’s technology, when paired with NRG’s global sales and service capabilities, is a significant advantage for our customers, and a great new opportunity for customers who could not previously justify the high cost of Doppler Lidar solutions.”
NRG Systems will work with its global partner network to offer sales, technical support and integrated services, such as remote power supply, making this product a complete solution. Wheating added, “Our customers have been asking us for a full service, integrated wind measurement solution that includes the latest tower-based and remote sensing capabilities and we now have that for them.”
The company plans to begin shipping new SpiDAR units in early 2019 and will start offering complete service to existing SpiDAR customers in the coming weeks.
