Method for avoiding near-field effects of wind turbines on microwave terrestrial radio links

Abstract

Potential impact of wind turbines on telecommunication services is an increasing concern in wind farms deployment. The evaluation of the potential disturbance of a planned wind farm requires accurate and unbiased criteria applied in a comprehensive impact study. Near-field effects of wind turbines on microwave radio links is one of the less analyzed disturbances. In this article, new theoretical-based criteria and an easy to apply step-by-step calculation procedure are proposed. Results of the method are in the form of constraint masks, easy to apply by wind farm promoters in the layout design, by telecommunications operators in the evaluation of the potential impact, and by administrations involved in license tasks. In the article, the proposed method is applied to real cases of wind farms located close to radio links facilities and compared to current criteria.

Keywords:

• fixed radio links
• near-field effects
• near-field region
• wind farms
• impact studies

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank telecommunications operator Abertis Telecom for their kind collaboration in this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea [Program for specialization of postdoctoral staff]; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [TEC2012-32370, TEC2015-66353-P].