Power Curve Tests in Cold Climates on Complex Terrain
Short biography: Katie specialises in power performance testing of renewable energy turbines, and joined the Analysis team at Wood after studying at Strathclyde University for honours and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Her doctoral research, undertaken within the SuperGen doctoral training programme, focussed on the overspeed power regulation method for horizontal axis tidal turbines with a view to increasing industry understanding of associated benefits and constraints, developing a blade design methodology for use in this power regulation method. This experience feeds directly into Katie’s role at Wood, where she has involvement throughout the power curve testing (PCT) process for wind turbines, including independent review of power curve warranty documentation, terrain and forestry complexity assessments, and meteorological mast and power measurement data analysis, under the various stages of IEC Standard 61400-12-1 compliant PCTs for wind turbines. She has worked on projects located from the USA to Pakistan, with a strong focus with our Nordic client base. Katie also has practical on-site experience micro-siting mast and anchor points and installing power measurement equipment in turbine nacelles. Her work includes the use and manipulation of various GIS data sources (contour, grid, lidar elevation data), analysis of meteorological measurement, SCADA and independent power
measurement data, and of the associated uncertainties.
Katie sits on the British Standards Institute PEL/114 for Marine Energy, and the IEC Management Team responsible for the development of IEC/TS 62600-200, outlining the industry specifications for best practice in PCT for tidal energy converters, leading the team working on uncertainty estimation. Outside of work, Katie loves taking her son into the wilds to pick berries and splash in lochs, and taking chances to get out into the hills or for a dook (as we say in Scotland) in any body of water deep enough to contain a human being.
