Andrew Gilbertson

October 3, 2006

Department of Defense Issues report on the impact of wind turbines on military radar

On Thursday, September 28, 2006 the Department of Defense published a report to Congress entitled "The Effect of Windmill Farms on Military Readiness" which addresses the impact of wind turbines on air defense radar. The report included a finding that wind turbines located within the line-of-site of radar facilities have the potential to degrade the effectiveness of military defense systems. The report also indicates several potential remedies to radar interference.

The proven remediation methods noted in the report address the siting of new wind turbines. All of the methods aim to keep wind turbines out of the line-of-site of radar facilities. The methods include locating new turbines below radar facilities, locating new turbines behind terrain features, such as hills or mountains, or locating new turbines far away from radar facilities. The report also points out several mitigation methods that require more study, including putting radar absorbing material on turbines and reducing the angle of taper of the turbine tower.

Wind energy advocates say that the report is incomplete, stating that it does not include enough detail about existing and emerging methods to reduce the effect of wind turbines on radar facilities. They remain confident, however, that the report will not significantly impact the growth of the wind power industry as a whole, noting that the Federal Aviation Administration recently approved 614 applications for individual wind turbines.

For more information:

http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/09/28/#1

http://www.eenews.net/features/documents/2006/09/28/document_gw_01.pdf