1. Impact of wind farms on radio systems
May 2015

2. Impacts on radio systems
Radars
Wind farms have significant impact on microwave radar systems
Special legislation and compensation system developed for military radars
Radiolinks
Wind farms have significant impact on radiolinks.
Solutions: The link has to be removed if a wind farm is built in its Fresnel zone
Terrestrial TV broadcasting
50% of Finnish homes receive tv via the terrestrial network
A new shadow area might occur due to a wind farm
Solutions: proper receiving antenna, new gap filler or optimisation of the network
Mobile networks
High expectations on coverage
Coverage problems might occur in areas with weak signal
Solutions: improving the network (new base stations or optimisation)
Heidi Himmanen

3. Heidi Himmanen

4. Survey on effects of wind power
Survey commissioned by FICORA in 2014 carried out by VTT Technical Research Center Finland
Background
Reports on problems related to wind farms
Concern of the impacts to tv-viewers and mobile users
Contacts by wind power companies to solve the problems
Systems to be studied
DVB-T and DVB-T2 on UHF (and VHF)
GSM900, LTE800, UMTS900, LTE1800 ja UMTS2100
Field measurements around a wind park in Pori by VTT and TV network operator Digita.
Modelling the impact
The survey (in Finnish) was publeshed by FICORA in
Heidi Himmanen

5. Conclusions and recommendations: TV-networks
Wind power plants cause a shadow area if a wind power plant is located between the transmitter and the reception location
The most significant impact is the Doppler shifted reflection from the moving blades
Good receiving antennas are crucial
Gap fillers are probably needed behind the wind farms. The gap filler should be located outside the impact area so that the angel to the wing farm is large enough.
Heidi Himmanen

6. DVB-T -signal behind the wind farm
Source: VTT report VTT-R ,
Heidi Himmanen

7. Conclusions and recommendations: mobile networks
A high-density base station network efficiently limits the areas affected by wind parks
The wind farm has an impact on the quality of calls and data services
The effects of wind power plants on GSM calls were small.
The largest impact was seen on UMTS data services as a delay and decrease in bit rate.
In the LTE network any significant interference to e.g. web services.
Heidi Himmanen

8. FICORA's recommendations to builders of wind farms
The radio system owners/users should be informed on the project within a coordination distance of about 30 km
Users of radio location systems and radiolinks, as well as teleoperators should always be informed on the project
AVIRASTO_1153_809_2014_Tiedote_tuulivoimapuisto n_rakentajille.pdf
Heidi Himmanen

9. The role of FICORA: terrestrial TV
FICORA solves radio interference and supervises network license conditions, such as coverage requirements
Three multiplexes have strict requirements regarding shadow areas
Shadow are of 50 people within a 20 km circle -> operator must build out the network.
If the population in a shadow area is less than 50 people -> using alternative distribution technology e.g. satellite reception.
FICORA solves problems based on network license conditions
Decision given for Raahe Kopsa area (509/84/2014)
Investigations ongoing in Pori, Ii, Merijärvi and Santaskylä
Heidi Himmanen

10. The role of FICORA: mobile networks
Some problems related to mobile networks also reported close to wind farms
FICORA can give a decision to the operator to build out the network if the shortage is obvious.
GSM coverage requirements from beginning of (DNA and TeliaSonera)
Own network 80 % of population
Own + joint network 99 % of population
Coverage raquirements: 800 MHz
TeliaSonera: 95 % of population , 99 % of population
Elisa and DNA: 97 % of population
Heidi Himmanen

11. New legislation?
There are no clear obligations for wind park owners to solve the problems caused to radio networks
The operators think this is unfair
Many wind power companies voluntarily employ antenna contractors to fix consumers' receiving antennas
Agreement is rarely reached if a new base station or gap filler is needed
Heidi Himmanen