tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post1191353870096095949..comments2023-07-02T06:58:33.737-05:00Comments on WebberEnergyBlog: It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... wind turbine?Michael E. Webber, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12416546342365493633noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-87756450153417993532009-03-05T17:29:00.000-06:002009-03-05T17:29:00.000-06:00How do Denmark and the UK cope with these challeng...How do Denmark and the UK cope with these challenges? Do they not use radar to the extent that the US does?Zoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01937527970391263232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-6581495592598631282009-02-22T10:42:00.000-06:002009-02-22T10:42:00.000-06:00I would think that national security (radar defens...I would think that national security (radar defenses) would win out over wind turbines most of the time. This shouldn't deter us from using wind turbines, but will require some R&D to solve. Maybe this will result in wind farms being built in areas where interference with radar installations is not a problem, and solar elsewhere?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-37268748915179556362009-02-16T11:35:00.000-06:002009-02-16T11:35:00.000-06:00Wind has its own demerits, but we will have to bri...Wind has its own demerits, but we will have to bring a technology change or use mitigation factors to efficiently use wind power. Our radar systems might have to be changed, as time progresses, more such problems will emerge. Such problems have always been there, and will be there in future too as rightly pointed, this shouldnt deter us to use wind power or be prepared to face hard time with other renewable technologies.Mithunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11971093339773893475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-47555791494721236742009-02-16T00:09:00.000-06:002009-02-16T00:09:00.000-06:00This is a great point--wind, for all its merits, i...This is a great point--wind, for all its merits, is not without its drawbacks. And, this challenge is particularly confounding for the USAF because they want to make their bases as independent and renewable as possible, and wind is the fastest and cheapest way to do so. If they can't use wind because of the radar problems, then they will have a hard time making up the difference with solar.Michael E. Webber, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12416546342365493633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800828841873738105.post-34597793655340852932009-02-15T22:34:00.000-06:002009-02-15T22:34:00.000-06:00Eliminating the radar clutter caused by wind blade...Eliminating the radar clutter caused by wind blade is not only a financial challenge, but a technical one. Most of effective radar absorbing materials are not available commercially due to their primary application to military jets, ships, etc. The military is reluctant to release such technology to the public. Civilian research and advancement in this area lacks far behind the military . <BR/>Thus, one could think of radar signature reduction as a way to design wind turbines more radar friendly. Reducing the radar cross section (RCS)(commonly used in design of "stealth" aircraft) requires extensive testing and research in terms of blades, tower, and nacelle design while retaining the efficiency of the turbine itself as shown in this <A HREF="http://www.bwea.com/aviation/radar.html" REL="nofollow">research program report</A>. <BR/>Therefore, as long as FAA and other organizations object this wind farm due to safety and national security issues, the project might have no choice but to invest in a long and costly redesign process.Amoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03378374278350636958noreply@blogger.com