Acoem Australasia's wind tunnel is the first and only MEASNET-accredited wind sensor calibration facility in the Southern Hemisphere

9 January 2020

There are only nine MEASNET-accredited facilities in the world, certified to perform calibrations of wind energy sensors or anemometers. Acoem Australasia is now the only one outside Europe and North America. That is a game changer for wind farms across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Global recognition

Good things come to those who wait and those who innovate. After five years of dedication and exhaustive testing by the Calibration Services team at Acoem Australasia, MEASNET has granted the company full accreditation for its Wind Tunnel Calibration Facility.

Located at Acoem Australasia’s headquarters in Melbourne, the calibration centre is the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

MEASNET is the international network for harmonised and recognised measurements in wind energy, and the global authority on wind sensor calibration and wind energy measurement.

Saving our local wind industry time and money

According to Horacio Viana, (former) Acoem Australasia Customer Services Manager, it was well worth the wait.

“Acoem Australasia is now the only facility in the Southern Hemisphere with MEASNET accreditation which means that the wind industry in our region no longer has to get its vital instrumentation calibrated on the other side of the world.”

“Wind sensors need to be calibrated in a specific way and Acoem now meets the highest possible global standards and requirements.”

Accurate calibrations – essential for the wind industry

Wind turbines are designed to operate within a specific range of wind speeds, from the cut-in speed – the point at which the wind turbine is able to generate power, to the cut-out speed – when the turbine must be shut down to avoid damage.  When maximum rated speed is reached, the power output will increase cubically with wind speed. For example, if wind speed doubles, the power output will increase eight times.

As the cut-in and cut-out speeds dictate the turbine design and size, they are decided prior to construction so accurate anemometer calibrations are critical. Any errors will be manifested in cubic form in the estimated or calculated energy of a proposed or actual wind farm. This cubic relationship is what makes precision measurements such important factors for wind power.

The Southern Hemisphere’s only NATA and MEASNET-accredited calibration centre

The Acoem wind tunnel was custom designed by the CSIRO to accurately calibrate wind speed and direction sensors. It is also the only NATA / ISO 17025-accredited wind tunnel for the calibration of all types of anemometers in Australia.

Routine maintenance and calibration of all sensors is vital in maintaining accuracy. Acoem designs, installs, calibrates and maintains a wide variety of meteorological instruments, ranging from the humble cup and vane wind speed and wind direction sensors to more sophisticated Sodar and Lidar-based installations.

Acoem Australasia maintenance and calibration customers include key environmental protection authorities (EPAs); HVAC and construction companies; the mining industry; environmental researchers; and other businesses.

For more information about Acoem Australasia’s MEASNET and NATA-accredited wind energy sensor calibration, please contact Leigh Seymour on +61 (03) 9730 7800 for a tailored solution.

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