Natural Power to market ZephIR

Natural Power, a renewable energy consultancy based in south west Scotland, has purchased an exclusive license to market Qinetiq's ZephIR wind speed measurement system to the wind energy industry.

The arrangements cover the rights to exploit Qinetiq's LiDAR technology, primarily in the wind energy market. Qinetiq retains exploitation rights in other markets particularly defence, security and aerospace.

ZephIR is based on LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging) and works by measuring the Doppler shift of laser radiation back scattered from moving objects in the air. The majority of systems currently deployed are used for wind resource assessment, generating accurate measurements which play a vital role in the investment decision required before a new wind farm site can be developed.

Mark Palethorpe, Finance Director for Qinetiq's commercial business said: ‘Qinetiq has a strong pipeline of environmental technologies, many emanating from our core defence business. LiDAR technology has been used for many years in the aerospace industry, but until recently it has been too expensive and cumbersome for use in the renewable energy sector.’