Re: Four Offshore windfarms opposed by Britains Ministry of Defense [MOD]

[SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM]

Radsafe:

An afterthought on the potential problem raised by the action of the British MOD noted in my earlier post. Back in the early 1980s, the US DOE put up a single demonstration windmill on Block Island [RI] which was smaller than each of the large wind turbines now proposed for the multiple wind turbine arrays in offshore windfarms off the coasts of England and Germany. The Block Island windmill interfered with TV reception all over Block Island and the residents were up in arms as noted in my earlier post to Radsafe posting my 1981 LOBA [Loss of Blade Accident] satire. DOE had to provide cable TV reception to every home on Block Island in the early 1980s after this problem became evident, at a capital cost more than the windmill cost itself!


A 100 meter tall windmill with blades 35 meters plus in radius has a tip speed at typical revolution speeds [30 rpm]  of about 200 mph. I can only imagine that radar blips from windfarms with 50 to 100 large turbines in an array with blades moving at these speeds might easily confuse radar interpretation for air defense systems. Didn't military missile  radar warning systems once mistake a flight of geese for an incoming missile?? I can foresee the French who are reported to be positioning missile batteries at their reprocessing facility being confused by a false radar blip and launching a missile to shoot down a rogue windmill.


Any thoughts about the British MOD position from radsafe members more versed in microwave/radar interpretation?? 


Stewart Farber

Public Health Sciences

email: SAFarberMSPH

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In a message dated 11/6/01 8:13:05 PM Pacific Standard Time, SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM writes:



> A hyperlink is provided below to a full news article which appeared following the lead sentence: 
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> LONDON - Britain's Ministry of Defence wants to stop four offshore wind projects because of fears their whirring turbine blades could interfere with air defence radar systems, said a ministry official yesterday. 
>
>
> Offshore windfarms opposed by Britains Ministry of Defence