RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
LIFTING THE BARRIER TO WIND FARM RADAR OBJECTIONS
Could recent advances in radar modelling expand the development of wind farms worldwide?
Reflections from rotating turbines can cause false plots on radar displays. This means that thousands of wind turbines cannot be built because of potential radar interference.
ACCURACY LIMITATIONS
Computerised assessment tools can show whether a radar is likely to be affected by a wind turbine. Accuracy limitations of most tools often means that wind turbines are unnecessarily objected to. There is ample evidence to suggest that some modelling tools are over conservative.
ONLINE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTS Recent significant developments in Pager Power’s online software have included high resolution piecewise modelling, advanced terrain elevation algorithm, blade speed weighting and calibration. This increases the accuracy and reliability of assessments.
Calibration involves assessing operational wind turbines and comparing the predicted radar impact with the observed radar impact. The sensitivity of the model is then adjusted so that the predicted impact matches the observed impact.
The best turbines for calibration are those that are detectable to radar by a small margin. In these cases false plots appear occasionally and, in the case of analogue radar, video images are small. Calibration indicates that modelling by some radar operators is over conservative (between approximately 10 and 20 decibels).
MODELLING AND CALIBRATION Modelling has never been known to suggest turbines won’t be detected where the turbines have in fact been detected. Conversely modelling has shown that turbines will be detected and yet they have not affected the radar once built. Calibration is important because it connects the modelling with real world observations.
Improvements to modelling should lead to more turbines (and taller turbines) becoming acceptable to radar operators without technical mitigation being required.
EXPERIENCE
The Pager Power team has been working with wind developers and radar operators to identify, assess and resolve technical problems since 2002. We deliver a worldwide service and are proud to say we have worked on 24% of wind turbines currently operating in the UK.
Pager Power
www.pagerpower.co.uk
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