PIANC Smart Rivers 2022

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Introduction

To stop or at least slow down climate change, a world wide pursuit to produce renewable energy instead of using fossiles is high on the agenda.
Two  ways to produce green energy are booming: solar parks and wind farms. Being quite space consuming, they are often planned along inland waterways as the banks are often free of population, buildings and growth.

Possible negative effects
  
The possible negative effects of solar parks and wind farms for vessel traffic at inland waterways can easily be overseen. 
In the case of solar parks, the installation can cause electromagnetic hindrance. Recent research of the Dutch TNO Institute shows that interference of nautical communication (VHF, AIS) can occur, inspite the use of CE labeled materials. Also, reflection of the sun in the solar panels can lead to blinding of the helsman. Both hindrances can have a negative effect on nautical safety.
In the case of wind farms, each wind turbine reflects the echo of radars, that are installed aboard vessels or ashore, as a part of a VTS system. The wind turbines can produce false echos in the fairway at the radarscreen and thus lead to misunderstanding by the skipper or VTS-operator. Again, this hindrance can have a negative effect on nautical safety.

Mitigating measures

To avoid the interference of VHF and AIS by solar parks, a maximum increase in system noise of 3 dB is recommended . This can be realized in two ways. Either by installing the solar system far enough (approximately 100 - 900 m) from the waterway, depending on the height of the antennas. However, in most cases these distances will not be easy to respect. Or minimalising the radio interference by a smart converter design, in combination with filters and a screen around the electric connections.    
Another way to mitigate would be to add relay stations and directional antennas  in VHF and AIS systems for operating VTS, bridges and locks, but this would involve considerable costs and would be no solution for communication between vessels.
Regarding the blinding of the sun by solar panels, the number of hours per year should be estimated and set to a limit to be determined; stricter limits can be used in cases where uninterrupted sight is needed, like waterway junctions, harbours of locks and operators of bridges and locks.

False echos of windturbines along inland waterways on the radar screen of vessels are primarily caused by the nacelle and rotors. In the last decades the size of the masts and the length of the rotors of windturbines increased dramatically. In research from the Dutch TNO Institute in 2016 it is recommended to place the windturbines at a minimum distance of ½ the rotor length plus 30 m from the waterway to avoid the main false echos.

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