Smarting from the wind

Everybody knows what radar is, but how many know about lidar? Lidar stands for light detection and ranging. Several Danish innovators are developing lidar technology, which uses light waves, to enable wind turbines to get smart enough to look ahead to see the speed and angle of the wind approaching them, and then have a computer analyze the lidar data and adjust the turbine’s blades for greatest efficiency.  This ability makes the wind turbines about 5% more productive than normal, saving almost $2,000 per turbine per year.  Also, it reduces damage to the blades of the wind turbine, thereby reducing maintenance and replacement costs.