Stealth technology comes to the wind energy space

September 16, 2014 0 By John Max

New technology may be put to use at a wind farm in France

A new kind of wind farm could soon be under construction in France. The wind farm is meant to serve as a demonstration for new wind turbine technology, which would create “stealth” turbines. Wind farms have often been criticized for their impact on ground radar systems. The blades of a turbine interfere with radar signals by returning them to their origin. As such, ground radar systems can sometimes confuse wind farms for aircraft and weather systems. Aircraft that fly over wind farms can also be made undetectable by the interference created by wind turbines.

Wind turbines have a problematic effect on ground radar systems

Modern radar systems can determine the difference between a wind turbine and other things, but older radar systems are still heavily used. In the U.S., some 10,000 megawatts worth of wind energy projects had been halted due to issues relating to older ground radar systems. Stealth turbines may be the solution to this problem. These turbines would not encounter any problematic issue with radar systems as they would be invisible to radar signals.

New technology to be put to use at the Ensemble Eolien Catalan wind farm in France

Wind Energy ProjectsThe stealth technology is being put to use with wind turbines coming from Vestas. These turbines are located at the Ensemble Eolien Catalan wind farm in France. The stealth technology is similar to that used in various military applications. Vestas suggests that the use of this technology is a step forward for wind energy, but whether or not this technology can prove to be cost effective has yet to be seen.

Cost of new technology could affect the adoption of wind energy systems

Clean energy is already quite expensive. Building new renewable energy systems requires a sizable investment and most of these energy systems do not make use of cutting edge technology. Stealth technology may make wind energy systems significantly more expensive than they already are, which would reduce their viability as primary energy systems and affect their rate of adoption.

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CategoryHydrogen news International Wind Energy
Tagsclean technology Ensemble Eolien Catalan wind farm France France wind energy renewable wind energy stealth wind turbines vestas wind energy wind energy technology wind turbine energy

About The Author

John Max is an experienced sound engineer with a bachelor’s degree from UCLA. With over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry, John has also worked as a machinist, producing parts for cameras. Apart from his professional achievements, John is passionate about classic cars, owning a dazzling 1976 Porsche 911. While he drives a Toyota Prius on a regular day, John is excited about getting his hands on his first hydrogen car soon. John has been an avid writer for Hydrogen Fuel News for 17 years, contributing to the team as they collectively investigate and learn about the growth and technology of hydrogen fuel. At Hydrogen Fuel News, John is part of a great team that shares a common goal of exploring and investigating the world of hydrogen fuel.