Military concerns regarding radar interaction with wind projects are halting wind power developments of hundreds of megawatts in some parts of the U.S., according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The problem was reported by a technical newsletter, Renewable Energy Access (REA). AWEA is a trade association representing wind power developers, turbine makers, insurers and others. Gary Seifert, program manager of the Idaho National Laboratory, said at the Tehachipi Pass wind farm in Central California, the smallest turbine spinning in the wind gives off a radar signal bigger and stronger than a Boeing 747. At the same time, Seifert said, the military is developing stealth technology so some aircraft give off no more radar signature than a bird. Seifert, who is a radar specialist, spoke to a packed house at a session on wind-radar interaction at the recent annual Wind Power conference in Pittsburgh, sponsored by the AWEA. The Association said in a statement: ‘Recent action by some U.S. government agencies to effectively halt development of many pending wind energy facilities could lead to a de facto moratorium on the development of wind power in the U.S.’ A Pittsburgh publication, Renewable Energy Access reported-the […]