Flight trials have commenced to demonstrate a technical solution that, if successful, will be used to iron out objections to wind farms from the British Ministry of Defence (MOD), National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and individual airport operators. 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 British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) members are financially supporting BAE Systems to lead the science behind the technology, known as the Advanced Digital Tracker (ADT). The ADT will be fitted to a portable radar provided by the 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, scales and models of wind turbines, which will collectively provide the most rigorous test for the technology. Various types of aircraft will 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. The results obtained will then be analysed 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.
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