Use of the Channel Impulse Response of the DVB-T Service for the Evaluation of the Reflected Signals of Wind Farms

Wind turbines can cause degradation to the existing transmission systems, especially in the analogue television terrestrial broadcasting and radar services. The main effects of the interference are caused by the reflected signals in the support tower and in the rotating blades of the wind turbines. Empirical trials are necessary in order to adequately characterize the influence on the quality of the transmitted services, and to determine the parameters involved. The existing techniques to evaluate this influence are cost prohibitive or do not offer the required accuracy. In this paper, a low cost technique for evaluating the reflected signals from wind turbines is proposed, based on the analysis of the channel impulse response of the digital terrestrial television services. The results show that this technique provides accurate and reliable results.