UK Launches Competition to Mitigate Offshore Wind Farm Radar Risk

The UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has launched a competition seeking proposals that can provide future offshore wind farm mitigation for UK Air Defence surveillance.

The GBP 2 million innovation competition seeks to reduce and remove impact wind farms have on UK’s Air Defence systems to boost green energy growth. It includes alternative technologies that could fill or remove gaps in radar coverage.

DASA, the UK MOD’s innovation hub, is leading the work on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Royal Air Force, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

”Defence technologies have a huge amount to offer the demands of the 21st century UK – including addressing the challenge of climate change,” the UK Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said.

”We have an incredible skills base in the UK and this initiative will harness the power of wind turbines whilst ensuring our air defence standards.”

Multiple proposals are expected to be funded with up to GBP 2 million available in total from the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme. The competition will close on 17 April.

In the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, published in March 2019, the government committed to work with the sector and wider stakeholders, setting out that the UK could see up to 30GW of offshore wind by 2030, with a manifesto commitment to increase this to 40GW by 2030.

The deal also set out industry targets of supporting 27,000 jobs and GBP 2.4 billion per annum of exports by 2030.