Homeland Security can now add another slightly unexpected suspect to its list of national security threats: wind turbines.According to Homeland Security Newswire, wind turbines create a shadow that makes airplanes disappear from radar screens, as well as clutter the screens with the turbines’ “signature,” which changes as blades accelerate and slow with the wind.
On March 18, Gen. Gene Renuart, commander of Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, told the House Armed Services Committee that wind farms cause problems for the radar that safeguards the nation from threats from air and space.
“Comprehensive air domain awareness will not be attained unless we can resolve the growing issue of radar interference,†Renuart said in prepared testimony. “A formal vetting process is required with the necessary authorities to prevent projects from interfering with the defense of North America, while supporting the expansion of alternative energy sources, such as wind farms.â€
NORAD has set up a special radar obstruction evaluation team to quantify the impacts of proposed wind energy projects in close proximity to the radars. However, the Peterson Air Force Base command would not disclose any information on how close the projects have to be or how big. No other specifics of the project or whether the findings will be made public were disclosed, either. However, officials have confirmed that the command works with Federal Aviation Administration.
