At Tonstad in Sirdal, Martin from Hitachi is well underway with the installation of a brand new weather station. This will ensure better predictability and efficiency in power production.
– The rainfall meter from Geonor makes it easier for power producers to predict when, and how much, electricity they can produce, says technician at Hitachi Energy, Martin Giset.
It is not just the Meteorological Institute that is concerned with precipitation. Geonor's rainfall gauges have been in service at universities, airports and other public and private institutions around the world for a long time. For power producers such as Sira-Kvina, it is crucial to know how much water will flow into the power storages, as this affects when and how much energy they can generate. Therefore, meterological data plays an important role in daily operations.
- The new measuring station consists of sensors for wind, temperature, snow depth, humidity and, not least, the rainfall meter from Geonor. Now I am working on connecting the station and making sure that all the components talk to each other, explains Giset.
There was previously a partially manual weather station at the facility, but this has now been upgraded and moved 40 meters to a more modern and digitized version.
– Just moving such a weather station is a process in itself. It requires applications and approvals in advance. You might not think that 40 meters could make much of a difference, but there are many considerations to take into account. Such stations must be relatively undisturbed to ensure that the measurements are not affected by buildings, vegetation or other factors, explains Giset.
The rainfall gauge is weight-based. Therefore, it works just as well in winter conditions with precipitation in the form of snow and ice. The weight is carried by the sensor, which is basically a vibrating string. The sensor provides the power producer with precise and reliable data that they can use to predict water flow and optimize power production. Even small changes in rainfall can be significant when the company accounts for approx. 5% of Norway's power production, therefore a sensor technology with a focus on accuracy and long-term stability is important.
The new rainfall gauge at Tonstad uses Geonor's renowned swing string technology, which has been in use for several decades due to its reliability and accuracy. The technology works by applying an electrical voltage to a metal string, which begins to vibrate. The resonant frequency that occurs depends on the load on the string, for example how much rain is collected. This provides very precise measurements that are little affected by temperature or environmental changes.
- This is an old, but very reliable method of carrying out measurements. Our self-produced sensors have minimal sensor operation and a long lifetime, which enables stable and comparable measurements over time, without any particular need for re-calibration, explains Ivar Fredriksen from Geonor.
All photos on location: Erling Slyngstad-Hægeland / Havenfoto
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