Global initiatives to increase the availability of green energy are a necessity to satisfy the increasing demands of the future while also protecting natural resources and the environment for generations to come.
Green energy is all about getting more for less; more energy with lower costs and less waste. That’s the same philosophy behind the flexible and modular Nexys 3D digital mapping system. With lower costs and labor requirements than traditional surveying techniques, Nexys supports green energy projects ranging from wind farm modeling and construction to green building renovations.
When you’re driving down a highway or country road and see a wind farm off in the distance, the layout may look rather random, with each windmill relatively equally spaced apart. However, the precise layout must be carefully aligned to the terrain to optimize wind flow across the massive blades atop each windmill.
This requires accurate modeling of the surrounding land to understand how wind travels over the landscape. Traditionally, this is done through digital elevation models (DEM) which can capture the undulations of the terrain. Engineers and others can then input this data into CAD programs and environmental simulations to position each windmill in the optimum position.
Most methods for creating DEMs are expensive and time-consuming, which can limit the optimization potential when engineering a wind farm. With Nexys, engineers and planners have access to a digital 3D modeling solution that can be deployed quickly and whenever necessary.
Below are just some of the areas where a single Nexys can improve the development and optimization of wind farms.
Site Assessment and Terrain Analysis: Nexys can quickly capturing accurate topography data in almost any area, even remote areas without GPS signals. This data can also be used for other planning tasks such as drainage patterns, building construction, or cable locations. Once a survey team can quickly capture large datasets with Nexys, it makes tracking every stage of a project easy, achievable, and accurate.
Wind Resource Mapping: High-resolution 3D terrain data captured by Nexys aids in modeling wind patterns by accounting for obstructions, elevation, and even surface roughness as it changes throughout the year. Mobile LiDAR ensures fast, accurate data collection taken several times during the year while still maintaining low operating costs compared to traditional capture methods.
Vegetation and Structures: With many other types of DEM technology, planners often need to incorporate different capture methods to account for different requirements. For example, some models need to exclude vegetation or structures while other models need those elements for accurate modeling.
Point clouds captured by Nexys can accurately capture structures along with the raw terrain. Vegetation can also be studied at different times of the year due to the low cost of operating Nexys. This allows for modeling that is highly accurate compared to more static methods which may rely on “snapshot” satellite imagery.
Infrastructure Design: Wind farms have logistical support requirements ranging from the construction of access roads to underground cables. The precise 3D point clouds captured by Nexys help minimize material costs and environmental impact during this stage of wind farm development.
Environmental Impact Studies: One of the primary goals of wind energy is environmental preservation. This is true both after construction but also before and during construction. Planners want the lowest possible environmental impact and the data captured by Nexys provides a baseline for monitoring ecological impacts through mapping features before and after construction.
In addition, Nexys can streamline regulatory compliance and approval. All 3D point cloud data captured can be quickly processed into industry standard formats that are instantly usable in modern CAD workflows. Files are also fully compatible with the Trimble Reality Platform for immediate sharing with stakeholders, regulators, and local agencies.
Real-Time Data Collection for Remote Locations: Nexys' autonomous exploration capabilities allows efficient 3D scanning of remote locations without requiring a prior map, existing wireless infrastructure, or even a pilot in the loop -- significantly reducing survey time. Our technology can work in GPS-denied environments and doesn’t rely on any outside signals for navigation or post-processing.
Deploy the Nexys to capture terrain data wherever and whenever you need it, even in the most remote locations.
Wind farm maintenance is always a challenge due to the highly technical nature of the windmills that push the boundaries of material science. To add to the challenge, the remote locations of most wind farms can interfere with inspections and even create safety challenges for workers.
During both construction and maintenance, the Nexys can capture 3D data along with high-resolution panoramic images known as photospheres. These photospheres are available for any captured geographic location and engineers can immediately access the photos.
This is useful for progress tracking during construction as well as emergency maintenance or inspections that require fast deployment.
Nexys is changing the way large projects are planned, designed, and constructed. The incredible flexibility to obtain accurate digital twins of any terrain or structure creates optimization opportunities during every phase of the project.
Contact us today to book a personalized demo of Nexys' autonomous exploration and mapping technology and witness what’s possible firsthand.