Companies wanting to operate power-generating wind farms close to radio transmitters should first notify and consult with radio broadcasters, according to guidelines developed by the Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC) and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANWEA). The guidelines spell out that the consultations should take place when the proposed wind turbine facilities are located within a certain radius of radio antenna towers.
While little impact is expected with respect to FM radio, AM stations might be concerned with re-radiation from turbine support structures, which can distort AM antenna patterns and throw the station out of compliance with Industry Canada’s rules, warns the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
The RABC and CANWEA provide general information to developers on whether a proposed wind turbine or wind turbine farm may negatively affect radio telecommunications, or weather radar systems in the vicinity of the turbine’s proposed location. It is also recommended that each radio station’s engineer make an assessment of the impact of any proposed wind turbine or wind farm.
A RABC/CANWEA document also outlines the rules for determining “consultation zones” within 80 kilometers of Environment Canada weather radars and how to assess the potential impacts. The wind turbines may negatively affect the ability of these radars to forecast weather.
There are currently proposals for adding wind farms in Canada. In the United States, the use of wind farms to generate electricity is growing dramatically, according to researchers Richard Vogt et al.
The researchers noted in a January 2007 paper that wind farms now produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 2.5 million homes. Wind installations can have over 100 turbines with blade-tip heights over 120 meters above ground level, with the height expected to increase in the future.
