Stealth Wind Turbine Reduces Radar Interference

According to wind power firm Vestas, radar interference issues are prohibiting up to 20 GW of wind power capacity being installed on a global scale.

Now, the firm has carried out a successful new wind turbine test involving technology designed to deal with this issue of radar disruption.

Vestas' so-called ‘stealth' turbine blades incorporates features similar to modern-day combat aircraft designs, such as the B-2 Spirit, the Stealth Bomber, which act to minimise their appearance on military radar as much as possible. In the case of stealth aircraft, the idea is to confuse enemy radar by presenting a distorted reflection of reality.

Wind Turbine Radar Interference

Vestas' use of stealth components has resulted in its turbine's radar cross section profile reducing by around 99 per cent, according to test data issued by the firm at the end of June 2011. That makes it an extremely effective solution to the issue of wind turbine radar interference.

"Our testing has demonstrated that we have successfully adapted military stealth technology to make Vestas wind turbines viable for placement in many locations that have been restricted by radar concerns", Finn Strøm Madsen - President of Vestas Technology Research and Development - explained in a statement.

"This is a critical step toward the commercialization of stealth turbines and holds potential to open a significant number of wind power locations for Vestas customers", he added.

Vestas Stealth Wind Turbine

The Vestas stealth wind turbine incorporates a blend of materials that absorb radar signals without the turbine's looks or performance being compromised as a result.

The development of this technology has been ongoing since 2006 and has seen Vestas team up with UK military research organisation QinetiQ to harness the potential of military stealth innovations and reapply them within the renewable energy arena.

The first modified turbine blade test was carried out in 2009, while a further trial involving a turbine with a full complement of stealth blades followed this two years later.

"The results of this latest field test are extremely promising", American Wind Energy Association representative Tom Vinson enthused. "Stealth materials is one of a suite of mitigation options the wind energy industry and federal agencies are working to research and validate.

"Improved processes for engaging agencies, deployment of existing mitigation options, and research and validation of additional mitigations options are widely supported among industry and agencies as the path forward to resolving the challenges we've seen between wind energy deployment and radar."

Stealth Wind Turbine image copyright Vestas and reproduced with grateful thanks

See also -

News:

UK Wind Turbines with Stealth Technology

Products and Services:

Companies supplying Wind Power