Stealth Technology for Wind Turbines (STWT)

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Wind Energy)

Basic and strategic applied research
Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Environmental dimensions)

Mr J Pinto
BAE Systems (Operations) Limited

Standard

DTI

15 September 2005

30 September 2007

24 months

£1,141,961

Aerospace and Defence

South East

WIND

Mr J Pinto, BAE Systems (Operations) Limited

Professor A Brown, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester
Professor B Chambers, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffield
Dr Z Moore, Vestas Technology UK Ltd

STWT is a £1.2M project part-funded by the Department of Trade and Industry to bring military aerospace stealth technology to wind turbines. The project commenced in November 2005 and is forecast to complete in October 2007. Many proposed wind farms are objected to by government and civil bodies representing the interests of radar users on the basis that detection of targets in the vicinity of wind farms may be impaired. This applies to military airdefence radars, civil and military air traffic control radars, meteorological radars and marine vessel and shore based coastal radars, among others. The STWT programme consists of 16 Work packages, each of which is sub-divided into a series of sub-tasks as described in a “Level 2 plan document” and “Work Breakdown Structure”. In the initial requirements capture phase, data relating tovarious radar types, on and offshore wind farms, both existing ‘round 1’ and proposed ‘round 2’, were collected along with detailed information on the geometry, materials and construction methods associated with wind turbine production. These requirements were then drafted into a target specification along with antcipated costs of manufacture for a low observable wind turbine based on the market expectation of future turbine costs. The consortium consists of BAE SYSTEMS Advanced Technology Centre as the lead partner with the University of Manchester, University of Sheffield and the wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Technology.

01/01/07