SEOUL, KOREA – The Ministry of National Defense has put a brake on the development of major offshore wind power complexes (e.g. the Saemangeum wind power cluster project and the 200MW wind power project in Daejeong-ri, Jeju) on the grounds that wind turbines can disturb radar signals. The Ministry is calling for remedies such as the use of stealth paint.
The construction of the Saemangeum 200㎿ wind power cluster will be completed in 2014 and the first round of the 200MW wind power project in Daejeong-ri, Jeju is about to kick off to install 14 7MW wind turbines by 2015.
The Ministry of National Defense fears that large-scale wind power complexes can compromise air defense artillery radar signals. Thus, the Ministry is against the construction of wind power complexes unless countermeasures are prepared.
The Ministry recommended the use of stealth paint on wind turbines since stealth paint absorbs over 90% of radar signals. Meanwhile, the wind power industry is taking a cautious stance since how it reacts to such demands can be an important precedent for dealing with similar problems. Using stealth paint on the blades of wind turbines not only shifts the center of gravity but also incurs a tremendous amount of additional expenses. The wind power industry estimates that it will cost a 200MW wind power complex KRW 4 billion for using stealth paint once.
Sean Chung (hbpark@etnews.com)
**Article provided by etnews [Korea IT News]
[Reference] : http://english.etnews.com/electronics/2715655_1303.html
