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Tritons expected to arrive here soon |
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Written by Tatiana Torres
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Thursday, 06 September 2007 |
The West Texas Wind Energy Consortium (WTWEC) held a luncheon Wednesday at Texas State Technical College-West Texas where guest speaker Bob Ochoa of Advance Turbine Services discussed the Triton wind resources assessment system. Advance Turbine Services is a Secondwind authorized service company based in Sweetwater.
Secondwind developed Triton, a SODAR sonic wind resource profiling and assessment system. It is used worldwide to collect wind energy data for potential wind farm sites and captures accurate wind data at heights of up to 200 meters, in any weather, at any location, without being attended.
Ochoa said readings are delivered via satellite with no expert analysis required to understand the data. The Triton, he said, delivers clean beams of sound, has a rugged construction with a durable lining and is completely autonomous, running on an 85-watt solar panel with a built-in battery.
The unit is made of rugged plastic with stainless steel components and sound absorbing material that functions when wet, unlike foam, according to Ochoa. Internal temperature sensors and a propane heater also allow Triton, which is manufactured in the United States, to operate in icy conditions.
At six feet tall, Triton can be easily towed by a pick-up truck, Ochoa said.
The unit has internal controls to compensate for uneven ground, and a built-in GPS and compass to identify the time and location of data as it’s captured. The “chirp” is also less noisy than other sodar products, Ochoa said.
The Triton product will be manufactured in quantity, which allows the company to price it far less than current custom-built products. Prices for Triton will range from a base price of $30,000 to about $40,000 when fully configured with the SkyServe satellite wind data service and optional accessories.
Many Tritons will arrive in Sweetwater at the end of this month at Advance Turbine Services, according to Ochoa.
One Triton is already set up about four miles south of Sweetwater, next to a wind structure. Members of the community may tour the Triton at any time by contacting Ochoa at 236-9991.
“West Texas is still far and above anyone else” in the wind industry, said Sweetwater mayor Greg Wor-tham, who is also the WTWEC executive director. “We are operating more megawatts than China and California.
“As the wind industry grows, the better for our region.”
There are now 70 students enrolled in TSTC’s wind energy technology program.
The next WTWEC luncheon will be held Wednesday, Oct. 3, with Dr. Andrew Swift of Texas Tech University as the speaker. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 08 September 2007 )
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