Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Radar Impact Assessment

QinetiQ was contracted by the Air Defence and Air Traffic Services Integrated Project Team to predict and measure the radar cross section (RCS) of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT), as well as assess the potential impact it would have on radar. The VAWT used for the study was the Quiet Revolution (QR) qr5, a 7kW turbine that is roughly 5 metres high and 3 metres in width. To predict the RCS of the VAWT, a computer aided design (CAD) model was created, with a finite element mesh applied to it.