Sandia’s SpinnerLidar project chosen to bring enhanced wind turbine technology to market

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office selected Sandia National Laboratories’ SpinnerLidar project for funding through the fiscal year 2024 Base Annual Appropriations Technology Commercialization Fund. The SpinnerLidar was designed by the Technical University of Denmark and can measure the wind with higher spatial and temporal resolution than any commercially available instrument. These measurements will help develop better models of how wind turbines work by allowing researchers to create more accurate representations of the wind as it approaches the turbine.

“Through a previously funded WETO project with GE Vernova as a partner, we have developed a method using hub-mounted SpinnerLidar measurements to more accurately validate models of turbines to use in simulations,” said Principal Investigator, Dan Houck. “With this award, we are excited to demonstrate the value this can have to a wind turbine manufacturer like GE Vernova. Better models will mean more reliable wind turbines.”

The award was one of 50 impactful projects selected across 17 National Laboratories to propel clean energy solutions. Proposals from National Laboratories were invited in November 2023 to advance energy technologies and strengthen existing practices. The Technology Commercialization Fund was established by Congress through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and reauthorized by the Energy Act of 2020 to promote promising energy technologies. The selected projects will simplify commercialization processes, accelerate the development of existing promising technologies and kickstart the development of new energy solutions.

To view full descriptions of the selected Core Laboratory Infrastructure for Market Readiness projects, including the SpinnerLidar, visit the Projects webpage.

Read more about the Sandia Wind Energy Technologies program’s research and capabilities and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Technology Commercialization Fund.