Scientists say wind farms mess with radar systems
By
KMVT News Staff
Story Created:
Jul 19, 2010 at 7:49 PM MST
Story Updated:
Jul 19, 2010 at 7:49 PM MST
Twin Falls, Idaho (KMVT) - The Magic Valley is home to dozens of wind farms, with more being built; but now scientists are finding that wind turbines can temporarily erase aircraft from radar screens, and in some cases, mislead meteorologists into thinking a wind farm is a thunderstorm.
The blades on wind turbines can rotate at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, causing problems for radar systems to get an exact fix on specific objects.
One option might be upgrading radar systems to compensate for locations of wind farms.
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