LUT University is exploring the possibility of combining radar surveillance of the eastern border with wind energy construction. The LUT plan would place surveillance systems on wind turbine towers. Until now, the Finnish Defence Forces have prevented wind farms from being built near the eastern border because the rotating blades of the wind turbines interfere with the Defence Forces' radar.
According to Petteri Laaksonen, Research Director at LUT, the surveillance system on the wind turbines would be a system that would support the Defence Forces' existing radar system, using passive radar technology. This means that the sensors placed on the wind turbines would not themselves transmit radio waves, but only detect and receive radio signals from their surroundings.
- They would be difficult to locate because they do not transmit anything themselves. However, the information they receive could be used to create a snapshot that would complement the Defence Forces' radar snapshot," says Laaksonen.
Wind turbines are a key element in renewable energy production and Eastern Finland has been lagging far behind Western Finland in wind turbines due to the radar problem.
The Defence Forces have conducted their own study on the issue, which concludes that wind turbines are not suitable as a site for surveillance equipment. Source and photos. Read the full story:
https://yle.fi/a/74-20155272
LUT's plan is part of the ResilEast programme for the whole of eastern Finland, which supports the implementation of the EU White Paper and the Government's Eastern Finland Programme. ResilEast is a programme to strengthen Finland's resilience by ensuring that our infrastructure and energy supply works in conditions of war, peace and hybrid forces. ResilEast will, among other things, reassess the energy and defence support structures on the eastern border to make them more robust in support of our defence, more resilient to crisis situations and more conducive to the energy economy in peacetime.
The Finnish Hydrogen Valley Association is heavily involved in the implementation of the project and will provide regular updates on its progress.
