Energy --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In many modern energy applications, optical sensing plays a key role, and RIO’s narrow linewidth lasers enable these systems. In the oil and gas exploration market, there has been a dramatic shift in extraction capability over the last ten years, with new smart drilling and injection techniques leading to higher well efficiencies.  These capabilities require new and higher precision monitoring in lock step with extraction improvements. 

Modern fiber optic acoustic sensing systems for seismic monitoring of seabed offshore oil fields, which are enabled by narrow linewidth lasers, are delivering unprecedented levels of accuracy, and are poised to quickly replace acoustic hydrophone technology.  This improved extraction efficiency is more important today, when energy demand is up, and resources are limited.

Wind energy is has made the transition from a government-sponsored niche to a commercial infrastructure market with a strong ROI and significant Cleantech cache.  This transition has been achieved in large part through scaling that has led to larger and more efficient turbines.  This new generation of turbines requires wind and turbulence monitoring to operate without damage.  In these extremely tall systems, coherent Doppler LIDAR, using narrow linewidth lasers, has emerged as the most effective approach to optimizing performance and protecting these extremely expensive assets.