UK - Government and industry join forces to find clear path for wind farms

Flight trials have commenced to demonstrate a technical solution that if successful, will be used to iron out objections to wind farms from the Ministry of Defence (MOD), National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and individual airport operators. This research could have a positive impact by freeing up a significant number of potential wind farm sites that are currently sterilised. The project is essential in helping to meet Government targets for renewable energy by 2010 and beyond while helping to meet the UK’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. Aviation safety is paramount, to the extent that any wind farm proposal in line of site of radar is opposed because it creates a false positive on a radar screen. This effect is caused by the rotating blades which can mimic an aircraft as they move at speeds of up to 200mph at the blade tip.

Government and industry have been working together to better understand the cause of the radar impact for several years but this is the first time they have come together with a potential mitigation solution. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and BWEA members are financially supporting BAE Systems to lead the science behind the technology, known as the Advanced Digital Tracker (ADT). BAE Systems are experts in radar technology and have designed and built the majority of both air traffic control and air defence radars in the UK. The ADT will be fitted to a portable radar provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The mobile air traffic control radar is being temporarily sited in mid Wales.


The site in Wales has been chosen for the trials as it is situated in the region of four working wind farms of various sizes, scale and models of wind turbines which will collectively provide the most rigorous test for the technology. Various types of aircraft will then fly over the wind farms and the ADT will be investigated to establish whether the radar can register the aircraft while not cluttering the screen with similar images caused by the wind turbines’ rotating blades. A range of stakeholders from both the military and civil radar communities have been working with BAE Systems on this project, and will witness the trials in Wales. The results obtained will then be analyzed at BAE Systems. The results of the trials will be available by October 2005. If successful, the ADT could be on the market to tackle site specific wind farm issues by the end of 2006.