AMD Secures Key Partnership in UK's Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence Programme Phase 3

“Two projects have been awarded funding to develop windfarm mitigating prototypes and new funding announced to help the government accurately model the effectiveness of the different solutions.”
DASA – 30th Aug 2023 – Read more...

The interference to air traffic control and ground based defence radars caused by large windfarms threatens to prevent the UK from meeting its wind energy and net zero targets.

AMD is thrilled to announce it has been selected as the materials partner for one of the foremost suppliers in wind farm solutions, marking a significant milestone in its work in the DASA and DESNZ (formerly BEIS) £1Bn Net Zero Innovation portfolio. This achievement follows AMD's remarkable success in Phase 2 of the programme, where it pioneered the development of materials to provide significant broadband reduction in the radar cross -section (RCS) of turbine blades; a key requirement that underpins the planned 2025-2030 expansion of UK wind energy capacity.

This DASA funding is in partnership with the Royal Air Force and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and will cover the manufacture of full-sized windfarm components for representative testing.

The challenge of reconciling wind farm locations with ground-based air defence and air traffic control radar systems is a pressing issue that the UK must overcome to fulfill its commitment to wind energy growth and net-zero targets. Funding to date has paved the way for AMD’s development, independent testing and demonstration of groundbreaking nanotechnology which, when integrated into a turbine's blade structure, greatly diminishes wind farms' interference with radar systems.

This collaborative venture with a renowned, well-established supplier underscores AMD's pre-eminent position in cutting-edge nanotechnology and empowers the UK to honour its environmental and energy commitments in future wind energy technologies.

Furthermore, AMD's nanotechnology is designed to facilitate the integration of additional functionalities, including embedded sensors to monitor structural health, enhancing blade sustainability, and reducing servicing costs as well as heating to provide de-icing.

John Lee, Chief Executive Officer of AMD, commented, "This award represents another major win for AMD and positions us, not only in the vanguard of wind farm capability - providing technology which is a vital in overcoming the challenges associated with turbine siting - but underwrites our approach to making reduced radar cross section an intrinsic property of any composite structure."

12-October-2023