The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) has built up a £3.2m industry fund that it plans to use to develop advanced technologies designed to solve issues such as wind turbine interference with radar.
When rotating, wind turbine blades show up on radar displays, which is of concern to both military and civil radar operators. The so-called Aviation Investment Fund Company (AIFC) will look at how to solve the problem, having already identified a number of technologies likely to yield a solution.
Maria McCaffery, chief executive of the BWEA, said: 'The aviation fund shows the wind industry's commitment to resolve aviation objections as a barrier to further wind-energy deployment. We have brought key parties to the table and have progressed negotiations from a memorandum of understanding in 2008, to the establishment of a fund management company to administer and oversee deployment of the funds raised.'
The first companies to support the AIFC are Airtricity, Banks Developments, E.On Climate & Renewables, EDF Energy Renewables, Ecotricity, Falck Renewables, Novera Energy, RES UK and Ireland, RWE Npower Renewables, ScottishPower Renewables, Vattenfall, West Coast Energy, Wind Prospect and Your Energy.
The BWEA hopes that other companies with current or future potential wind farm aviation issues will also come on board in the future.
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