The turbines, called Winnie and Tony, will now turn intermittently between 9am and 5pm on a daily basis while the company works with East Midlands Airport and radar specialists Aveillant to develop the new technology.
The new radar system is required because the two wind turbines at Severn Trent’s Spondon site, which were completed in December 2013, interfere with the airport’s existing radar equipment, creating a clutter effect and makes a section of their flight radar unreadable.
This next stage of testing follows an initial trial of the new radar system which took place at the end of March, where the turbines turned for seven days.
Severn Trent Water’s renewable energy expert Martin Dent said: “We still have a long way to go to make sure the system does everything that we need, but we’re excited that the new technology is in place and it can observe the wind turbines from a distance, and provide the airport with unrestricted views of the skies above the wind turbines and the city of Derby.
“We understand that it’s been frustrating for the local community not seeing the turbines running.
“However, we hope they can see that this ground breaking work and our investment in this new technology, is all supporting our drive to make sure we comply with the civil aviation authorities regulations, and get Winnie and Tony operating without restriction, for the longer term.”