Nadara has selected ZX Lidars’ ZX 300e wind lidar technology to support its onshore wind repowering programme in the UK.
The agreement, announced at the Wind Lidar Masterclass in Berlin, covers the purchase of a fleet of ZX 300e units delivered under a fully turnkey package. This includes field services and long-term operational support from ZX Measurement Services, alongside dedicated ZX Power systems to enable standalone operation.
ZX Lidars said the lidar units will be used to deliver direct, bankable wind measurements at future hub heights, supporting repowering decisions without reliance on legacy met mast infrastructure or SCADA-only reconstructions.
The UK onshore wind sector is entering a key repowering phase, with a growing proportion of projects approaching or exceeding their original design life. At the same time, planning, grid and land-use constraints are increasingly favouring the repowering of existing sites rather than new developments.
Modern repowering projects typically involve taller towers and larger rotor diameters than earlier installations. However, historic wind datasets often do not extend into the vertical range required for today’s turbines, increasing uncertainty around wind shear, veer and vertical wind profiles — all critical inputs for technical and financial assessments.
ZX Lidars said standalone wind lidar is increasingly being adopted in the UK to address this challenge, enabling direct measurement across the full rotor-swept area at proposed repowering heights.
For repowering schemes, uncertainty at new hub heights can have a material impact on P50 and P90 estimates and on lender confidence. Direct wind measurement at these heights therefore provides greater certainty for project owners, advisors and investors, the company added.
Finley Becks-Phelps, UK head of development at Nadara, said repowering is central to the company’s long-term strategy for maximising value from its onshore wind portfolio.
“As turbines reach the limits of their original design life, we see a significant opportunity to increase generation from existing sites, but only if the underlying wind data supports confident decisions,” Becks-Phelps said.
“Direct measurements at future hub heights allow us to move beyond assumptions and legacy constraints. Using the ZX 300e — the best IEC-classified standalone lidar available — allows us to reduce uncertainty and take a robust, investment-ready approach to repowering.”
