DFS, the German air navigation service provider (ANSP), has already reduced the size of 27 of the 41 protected areas around its Doppler VOR (DVOR) facilities. These are omnidirectional (rotating) radio beacons that help pilots when navigating. The reassessment behind this move started on 1 August 2022 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. An improved calculation formula for forecasting the interference effect of wind turbines on conventional radio beacons (CVOR) now also frees up space for the expansion of wind power, thus contributing to the transition to sustainable energy sources in Germany.
DFS is implementing the extensive portfolio of measures launched in August to improve the compatibility of air navigation services and wind energy. These measures were agreed with the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) and the German Federal Supervisory Authority for Air Navigation Services (BAF). The objective is to ensure the interference-free operation of air navigation services facilities, which is required by law, while taking energy policy concerns into account as far as possible. As a result, more space for onshore wind energy will be created.
One of the measures adopted was to review the radius of the protected areas around DVOR facilities (previously set at 15 km) on the basis of new assessment standards. It is only within this radius that air traffic control issues need to be taken into account when approving construction projects. At 27 of the 41 DVOR facilities operated by DFS, the protected area could already be reduced to 7 km. By the end of the year, flight inspection reports will also be evaluated or technical properties checked for the remaining facilities to reduce additional protected areas.
"DFS is making its contribution to the transition to sustainable energy sources by reducing the size of the protected areas. Safety can and will remain at the core of the tasks of air navigation services in the future," said Friedrich-Wilhelm Menge, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) on the DFS Executive Board. "I very much welcome the fact that the intensive discussions between experts at DFS and scientists from the National Metrology Institute of Germany have led to practical improvements on the ground."
New calculation formula for CVOR facilities
Since 1 October, additional potential for the expansion of wind energy has also been offered by an improved calculation formula for forecasting the interference effect of wind turbines on conventional radio beacons (CVOR). Potential interference stemming from wind turbines and affecting the navigation signals provided by radio beacons (the so-called bearing error) is determined by means of a calculation formula. Within the framework of the WERANplus research project on the interaction of wind turbines and radar/navigation, funded by the BMWK, DFS and the PTB (the National Metrology Institute of Germany) were able to develop new formulae which enable more precise predictions. For the more robust DVOR facilities, a jointly developed formula has already been used since 2020 and has led to a rise in the approvals on the air traffic control side for new wind turbines to over 90 percent. With the new calculation formula used from October, a higher approval rate is also anticipated for CVOR facilities. However, CVORs will disappear within the next few years: With the support of the BMWK, they will either be replaced by DVOR facilities, which are less susceptible to interference, or dismantled due to a lack of operational need. After 2030, only the omnidirectional radio beacon on Helgoland, an island located in the North Sea, is expected to be based on conventional technology, as there is no space available for a DVOR.
Download
Media contact:
Anja Naumann
Telephone: + 49 (0)421-5372-116
presse@dfs.de
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a State-owned company under private law with 5,600 employees as at 30 June 2022. DFS ensures the safe and punctual flow of air traffic over Germany. Around 2,200 air traffic controllers guide more than three million flights through German airspace in peak years, up to 10,000 every day. The company operates control centres in Bremen, Karlsruhe, Langen and Munich as well as control towers at the 15 designated international airports in Germany. The subsidiary DFS Aviation Services GmbH markets and sells products and services related to air navigation services, and provides air traffic control at nine regional airports in Germany and at London Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport in the UK. DFS is working on the integration of drones into air traffic and has set up a joint venture, Droniq GmbH, with Deutsche Telekom. Other subsidiaries include R. Eisenschmidt GmbH, which markets publications and products for general aviation, and Kaufbeuren ATM Training GmbH (KAT), which provides training for military air traffic services personnel. The joint venture FCS Flight Calibration Services GmbH offers flight inspection services.