Renewable NRG Systems has secured a contract with the state of New York to supply up to 17 Windcube 100S 3D scanning Doppler lidar systems for the Mesonet, an advanced weather network dedicated to improving the detection and prediction of severe weather events. The lidar units will be integrated into enhanced weather stations throughout the state, providing real-time observations to the National Weather Service for use in high-resolution numerical weather prediction models. Data will also be provided to the state's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, enabling better short-term forecasting and emergency management decisions. The contract is administered by the University at Albany. "With climate change comes more extreme weather, which requires more advanced meteorological instruments to predict severe weather events," said Gregory Erdmann, vice president of global sales for Renewable NRG Systems. "This is an exciting project for the meteorology field as a whole because it will provide critical decision support to the state of New York in limiting the effects of severe weather events. The data produced by this system will allow the state to make critical decisions that will save lives and mitigate economic losses from severe weather events." NRG manufactures and distributes the Windcube 100S in partnership with Leosphere of Orsay, France. The system captures volumetric profiles of wind speed, direction and aerosol concentration, as well as boundary layer and cloud heights. These observations provide a detailed, 3D image of the atmosphere at high spatial and temporal resolution. "Our immediate objective is to provide better early warning in advance of severe weather, but the benefits will go well beyond that," said Everette Joseph, director of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center at the University at Albany. "We will be able to help give guidance to a variety of interested industries, including transportation and energy. There will be significant economic benefit from having this network in New York State." Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Mesonet project is intended to reduce death, injury and economic loss stemming from natural hazards such as severe storms. It will ultimately consist of 125 environmental monitoring stations and serve as the foundation of an early warning detection network for the entire state of New York.