Lidar Buoy Loan Program
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) currently owns two AXYS WindSentinel buoys that collect a comprehensive set of meteorological and oceanographic data to support resource characterization for offshore wind energy. The two buoys have been deployed off the coast of New Jersey and Virginia for over a year. Data from these deployments are available (with account setup) here.
In response to several inquiries and unsolicited proposals, DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office has implemented a loan program to lend the buoys to qualified parties to acquire wind resource characterization data in areas of interest for offshore wind energy development. PNNL manages the loan program will periodically advertise requests for applications (RFAs) where interested parties are invited to submit applications to borrow the buoys. The first RFA was sent out in December of 2016 via a posting to FedBizOpps.gov. Future RFA announcements will also be posted there.
This loan program is in accordance with the U.S. Department of Energy WindSentinel Buoy Loan Program Description. More information about the loan program and how to apply can be found in the links below:
- 2016 Buoy Loan Request for Applications - Scope of Work
- AXYS Non-Disclosure Agreement
- U.S. Department of Energy WindSentinel Buoy Loan Program Description
- General WindSentinel Buoy System Photos
- Example Monthly Report
- Buoy Data Access
- Standard Buoy Configuration and Settings
- Standard Buoy Configuration Screenshots