June 29, 2011
General News

Firm unveils 'stealth' wind turbine rotors

By Martin Neville, Isle of Wight County Press, www.iwcp.co.uk 29 June 2011

Vestas announced today (Wednesday) it had successfully tested a full-scale ‘stealth’ rotor on a turbine, paving the way for wind power plants to be located near military, airport and other radar systems without interfering in their operations.
Engineers at the Vestas Technology R&D facility at Newport have successfully adapted military stealth technology to produce a turbine for radar-sensitive locations.
Vestas Technology R&D president, Finn Strøm Madsen, said: “This is a critical step towards the commercialisation of stealth turbines and holds potential to open a significant number of wind power locations for Vestas customers.”
An estimated 20 gigawatts of wind power remains untapped worldwide because of concerns about radar interference.
Developed over five years, the 44-metre rotor uses radar-absorbing materials, which do not affect the performance or appearance of the turbines.
The results of preliminary tests were announced at the International Wind and Radar Forum in Ottawa, Canada.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/06/29/firm-unveils-stealth-wind-turbine-rotors/