Passive radar collision warning system PARASOL

• Published in: IEEE aerospace and electronic systems magazine Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 40 - 52
• Main Authors: Kuschel, Heiner, Heckenbach, Jörg, Ummenhofer, Martin
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01-02-2017; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Aircraft accidents; Birds; Blinking; Collision avoidance; Collisions; Hazards; Illumination; Night; OFDM; Passive radar; Renewable energy; Renewable energy resources; Safety; Sensors; Switching; Transmitters; Turbine blades; Warning; Wind power; Wind turbines
• ISSN: 0885-8985; 1557-959X
• DOI: 10.1109/MAES.2017.150267

Wind energy is an important pillar of the renewable energy mix and has been growing continuously during recent years. Its acceptance among citizens, however, is not only fostered by the environmentally friendly attitude of wind energy, but also restricted by its visual and acoustic appearance, modifying the picture of nature. In particular, at night, when the red collision avoidance illuminations print blinking lines on the sky, people feel bothered by this safety feature. Moreover, birds are attracted by the red blinking lights and may suffer fatal collisions with the blades of the wind turbines. Hence, switching on the collision avoidance illumination on demand, only when an aircraft appears within a protection sector of a wind park, is a requirement of the wind energy community.