NRG Systems wins large Lidar contract for New York State’s pioneering Mesonet weather network

NEW YORK - Jan. 6, 2016 - PRLog -- Hinesburg, VT,  USA, January 6^th 2016 - NRG Systems has announced today that it secured a contract with the State of New York for the supply of up to 17 WINDCUBE 100S 3D Scanning Doppler Lidars for the New York State Mesonet, an Advanced Weather Network dedicated to improving  the detection and prediction of severe weather events.

The Lidar units will be integrated into enhanced weather stations dispersed throughout the state, and will provide real-time observations to the National Weather Service (NWS) for nowcasting and ingestion into their high resolution numerical weather prediction models.  Data will also be provided to New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services enabling better short-term forecasting and emergency management decisions.

The contract, administered by the University at Albany-SUNY, will see the addition of up to 17 WINDCUBE 100S 3D Scanning Doppler Lidars to the network, a  best in class atmospheric remote sensing technology that will help make the New York State Mesonet the most advanced permanent weather network of its type in the world.

WINDCUBE 100S is a state-of-the-science  remote sensor manufactured and distributed in partnership  by LEOSPHERE and NRG Systems. It captures volumetric profiles of wind speed, direction and aerosol concentration as well as boundary layer and cloud heights. These observations provide a very detailed, three dimensional “image” of the atmosphere at high spatial and temporal resolution, enabling improved decision intelligence during times of extreme weather.

“With climate change comes more extreme weather which requires more advanced meteorological instruments to predict severe weather events. This is is an exciting project for the meteorology field as a whole because it will provide critical decision support to the State of New York in limiting the effects of severe weather events.” said Gregory Erdmann, VP Global Sales for NRG Systems. “The data produced by this system will allow the State to make critical decisions that will save lives and mitigate economic losses from severe weather events. The industry is watching this project closely.”

Financed with FEMA funds set aside to lessen the effects of disasters like Hurricane Sandy, the goal of the NYS Mesonet is to reduce death, injury, and economic loss stemming from natural hazards such as severe storms.

“Our immediate objective is to provide better early warning in advance of severe weather”, according to Dr. Everette Joseph,  Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) at University at Albany-SUNY, “but the benefits will go well beyond that. We will be able to help give guidance to a variety of interested industries, including transportation and energy. There will be significant economic benefit from having this network in New York State.”

The New York State Mesonet will ultimately consist of 125 environmental monitoring stations and will serve as the foundation of an Early Warning Severe Weather Detection network for the entire State of New York. Mesonet sites will be distributed statewide with every county across New York having at least one or more sites. The Mesonet will provide local, updated weather information in real-time, 24/7 to government, academic, and private sector partners as well as the general public.

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NOTE TO EDITORS:

For more information on the NY Mesonet: www.nysmesonet.org/about

About NRG Systems

NRG Systems (NRG) is a global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and service of atmospheric remote sensing products and decisions support solutions for the renewable energy and professional meteorology markets. NRG pioneered wind resource assessment more than 30 years ago, when the wind industry was just beginning. Today, the company serves multiple stages of wind, solar, and meteorological project and enterprise solutions development—from site assessment to commercial operation. You’ll find NRG products in use by utilities, OEMs, developers, research institutes, and governments in more than 150 countries.

About Leosphere
LEOSPHERE is a global leader in LIDAR (laser radar) atmospheric remote observation in several markets such as Wind Energy, Weather and Climate, Aviation Weather, Air Quality & Industrial Risk. The company develops, sells and services new turnkey remote-sensing instruments allowing wind measurement and aerosol detection. LEOSPHERE has deployed more than 750 LIDARs throughout the world in severe environments with the same concern of reliability, reduction of operational costs for clients and dedication to atmospheric hazards control.