A turbine optimises to the wind it can measure.
So the sensor can’t be the part that fails.
Turbines depend on accurate wind data to yaw, pitch and shut down safely, and resource assessment relies on met masts measuring over long campaigns. Mechanical sensors wear, drift and ice up. Ultrasonic sensors with no moving parts keep the measurement, and the performance it drives, reliable.
A turbine can only optimise to the wind it can measure
Wind turbines depend on accurate wind data to yaw into the wind, adjust blade pitch and shut down safely in extreme conditions. Resource assessment relies on met masts measuring wind over long campaigns. In both cases the measurement is foundational, and in both cases a mechanical sensor is a liability.
Cup and vane anemometers wear, ice up and fail on nacelles and exposed masts, dragging down turbine performance and adding maintenance cost. Gill ultrasonic sensors have no moving parts, so the data your control and assessment depend on stays reliable.
Turbine control and safety
Yaw, pitch and safe shutdown all rely on accurate wind data. Bad readings cost performance or risk the asset.
Performance optimisation
Mechanical sensors that drift or fail reduce turbine output. A robust solid-state sensor protects yield.
Resource assessment
Met masts need consistent, accurate wind over long campaigns to underpin investment decisions.
Cold climate icing
Exposed turbines and masts face ice. Heated ultrasonic sensors keep measuring through it.
insight
A failing wind sensor quietly costs turbine performance
When a nacelle anemometer drifts or seizes, the turbine no longer yaws or pitches to the true wind. The loss does not announce itself, it shows up as reduced output and higher maintenance, often blamed on everything but the sensor.
Gill ultrasonic sensors measure wind with no moving parts, so they do not wear or drift the way mechanical units do. That protects both the control decisions and the performance they drive.
Wind instruments for turbines and met masts
Turbine control and resource assessment both need robust, accurate wind measurement that survives exposure. These products fit.
WindObserver
Robust stainless steel 2-axis anemometer
For exposed met masts and turbine installations, including cold climates. 316 stainless steel with optional heating to keep measuring through ice and snow.
WindSonic
Cost-effective 2-axis anemometer
Dependable wind speed and direction for turbine control and monitoring, integrating easily and matching existing calibration requirements, with no moving parts to fail.
WindUltra
Smallest, lightest 2-axis anemometer
Where size and weight matter on instrumentation, WindUltra gives high accuracy in a compact body, aggressively tested to IP69K for tough, exposed conditions.
What this looks like on wind assets
Gill and DC21 on turbine performance
Optimising turbine performance depends on reliable sensor data that the control system can trust.
Gill has worked with DC21 to enhance wind turbine performance with robust sensor technology, replacing the failure modes of mechanical units.
Ending repeated nacelle failures
Mechanical anemometers on nacelles fail, reducing turbine performance and adding maintenance cost.
Switching to a robust, solid-state ultrasonic sensor that integrates easily and matches existing calibration offers a dependable alternative.
Confident met-mast campaigns
Investment decisions rest on long, accurate wind records from met masts at proposed sites.
Ultrasonic sensors deliver consistent measurement across long campaigns, with no wear-driven drift to undermine the dataset.
Measuring through ice and snow
Cold-climate wind sites are among the most punishing, and icing stops mechanical and unheated sensors alike.
Heated WindObserver units keep measuring through ice, protecting both safety shutdowns and performance data.
Built to feed turbine controllers and SCADA
Wind data has to reach turbine controllers, SCADA and data loggers cleanly. Gill sensors output in the standard formats those systems use, and match common calibration requirements for retrofit.
Where a project needs something specific, Gill R&D handles embedded software and systems integration in-house.
Outputs and options
- ModbusFor SCADA and turbine control
- RS232 / RS422 / RS485Serial outputs for controllers and loggers
- SDI-12For met masts and monitoring networks
- Heated variantsFor cold-climate sites
- Analogue & digitalVoltage, current and digital options on selected sensors
Specifying wind sensors for wind energy
Mechanical sensors wear, drift and fail on nacelles, which reduces turbine performance and adds maintenance cost. A solid-state ultrasonic sensor removes that failure mode, integrates easily and can match existing calibration requirements, making retrofit straightforward.
WindObserver suits exposed met masts, with heating for cold climates, and delivers consistent measurement across long campaigns. We can advise on configuration to match your assessment methodology.
Yes. Heated WindObserver variants keep measuring through ice and snow, protecting both safe-shutdown decisions and performance data. Share the climate and we’ll recommend the configuration.
Outputs include Modbus, serial and analogue formats that cover most turbine controllers and SCADA systems, and the sensors can match common calibration requirements for retrofit. Where a project needs a bespoke integration, Gill R&D can help.
With no bearings, cups or vanes there is no scheduled mechanical maintenance and no wear parts to replace, which is exactly what nacelle and mast installations need. Periodic calibration checks keep data quality high.
Six reasons wind operators specify Gill
40 years of ultrasonic measurement
Gill brought ultrasonic anemometry to market and has refined it since 1984.
Protects turbine performance
No drift or wear means control decisions stay based on true wind.
Easy retrofit
Integrates easily and matches existing calibration requirements.
Built for exposure and ice
316 stainless steel and heated options for cold-climate masts and turbines.
Feeds control and SCADA
Modbus, serial and analogue outputs integrate with turbine and plant systems.
UK designed, made and supported
Engineered and manufactured in Lymington, Hampshire. Recipient of a King’s Award for Enterprise.
Send us an enquiry
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