Abstract
Wind energy development can affect aviation in a number of ways. The federal aviation administration (FAA) requires that persons or entities wishing to build structures of certain heights and/or proximity to military or civilian airports or heliports provide public notice of the construction by filing FAA Form 7460‐1. Marking and/or lighting of wind turbine structures are intended to provide day and night conspicuity and to assist pilots in identifying and avoiding these obstacles. In addition to impacting aviation radar systems, wind turbines may also have an effect on weather radar systems. Microwave telecommunication systems are wireless point‐to‐point (or line‐of‐sight) links that communicate between two sites (antennas) and require clear line‐of‐sight conditions between each antenna. Wind developers need to perform a Licensed Microwave Search and Worst Case Fresnel Zone Analysis to identify microwave paths within a project area.
This is a book chapter in Wind Energy Essentials: Societal, Economic, and Environmental Impacts.