The UK Government has launched further funding for new technology and mitigation measure to help offshore wind farms coexist with radar and defence systems.
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have announced £3.6m (€4.2m) for the second round of the Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence competition.
Phase 2 will launch on 20 April 2021, building upon the UK government’s commitment towards a greener future while retaining the invaluable protection that radar provides.
Total funding of up to £3.6m over two financial years is available for Phase 2 of the competition, from which DASA expect to fund five or six projects.
The closing date of Phase 2 is 15 June 2021.
The Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence competition seeks proposals that can develop technologies to permit the coexistence of future offshore windfarms alongside UK air defence surveillance systems.
DASA is looking for alternative technologies that could reduce radar clutter caused by offshore windfarms, improvements to the probability of intruder detection and the capability to fill or remove gaps in radar coverage.
It is also seeking alternatives to radar, solutions to the cumulative effect of windfarm development, metasurfaces applied to, or alterations to the design of, the wind turbines, and alterations to the initial radar signal or radar station or processing of the return.
Suppliers can take part in Phase 2 of the competition if they were not involved in Phase 1.