Wind speed monitoring complete at Earystane plantation

SODAR device has been removed and returned to the UK

Manx Utilities says its wind speed monitoring tests at Earystane plantation are now complete.

Over the past 12 months data has been collected to allow for various turbine designs at the site.

The SODAR (Sonic Detection and Ranging) device, which was being used to measure wind speeds at various heights above ground level has been removed and returned to the UK.

The company says it will now be able to accurately calculate energy yields from the proposed development across the whole year for all viable designs, and 'therefore how much our reliance on imported fossil fuels could be reduced if a windfarm was constructed'.

It added: "Windfarm design experts, Wardell Armstrong, have modelled energy yield for Earystane using a simulated data set generated by the Met Office using the Hadley Centre climate model.

"This dataset uses historical data from the Island and the UK and spans a 5-year period with data extracts for every ten minutes.

"This is set against manufacturer performance curves to accurately estimate power production for the site and consequently energy yield predictions.

This energy yield can now be directly validated by the data received from the SODAR device."