New research has just been announced, that will hopefully provide a solution for the problem caused by offshore wind farms with radar detection. About GBP 5.15 million is being invested into this research, as announced by the UK's energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband. Of the total sum GBP 1.6 million will come from wind companies, about GBP 2 million from the Crown Estate, while the remaining GBP 1.55 million will be provided by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

As seen before in the case of Germany, where the German military has put on hold numerous wind power projects due to interference with radar detection, the same problem is troubling the UK wind power sector. Wind turbines cause interference with radar detection which is a major problem for aviation, both civilian and military. This has caused some 5 GW of lined up projects in the UK to be put on hold by National Air Traffic Services (NATS), until the problem is resolved. Additionally, another 5.5 GW of wind power capacity has also been stopped in early stages of development.

New research will include NATS involvement, in order to produce a result that will resolve the radar interference issue, and present valuable information for a new approach in wind farm planning in the future. The research is to be concluded in April 2011.

Wind turbines show up on a meteorological radar, and give false data for forecasts in the US. (Image: NOAA)