Seven projects have been awarded funding to develop technologies that support the coexistence of offshore windfarms and UK air defence systems.

The funding is part of the second phase of Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence, a competition which aims to develop tech that reduces the impact of offshore windfarms on Air Defence surveillance.

Technologies that were submitted during the competition include:

• alternative technologies that could reduce radar clutter caused by offshore windfarms
• improvements to the probability of intruder detection
• the capability to fill or remove gaps in radar coverage
• alternatives to radar
• solutions to the cumulative effect of windfarm development
• metasurfaces applied to, or alterations to the design of, the wind turbines
• alterations to the initial radar signal or radar station or processing of the return

“Offshore wind will play a major role in achieving our Net Zero Targets,” said wing commander Kevin Walton, co-chair of the Ministry of Deference/Offshore Wind Industry Council Air Defence Mitigation Task Force. “The technology being developed in this competition will help the UK achieve its renewable energy targets without compromising the surveillance of UK airspace.
“In addition, the technology being developed will help boost UK prosperity, entrepreneurs and innovators by investing in innovative technologies.”
He said that phase 2 of the competition will develop on the previous phase’s activities and moves further to identify operational systems that will help enable the coexistence of offshore windfarms and the UK’s Air Defence and ATC surveillance.

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