Telecommunications Issues for Wind Power Facilities

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Telecommunications Issues for Wind Power
Facilities Interdepartment Radio Advisory
Committee Presentation
June 14, 2005
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Presentation Outline

• Telecommunication Issues Involving Wind Power
  Facilities
• Review of Analysis for Spectrum Users Operating
  Under FCC Jurisdiction
• Example of Previous Project
• Options for Government Spectrum Users
• Next Steps
• Summary

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Potential Telecommunications Issues Involving
Wind Power Facilities

• Wind Power facilities create possible
  line-of-sight blockage to point-to-point
  microwave links
• Turbines potentially alter propagation
  characteristics of nearby telecommunications
  facilities
• Turbines potentially affect the electromagnetic
  characteristics of surrounding telecommunications
  facilities
• Wind Power Developers Are Pro-Active In The Early
  Planning Stages Of Facilities To Quantify and
  Minimize Any Disruption To Existing
  Telecommunications Networks

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Telecommunication IssuesGovernment Spectrum

• Microwave point-to-point communications
• RADAR
• Land mobile radio (LMR)
• Cellular and PCS telephones

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Microwave Point-to-Point Communications

• Potential line-of-sight (LOS) path blockage
• Evaluate Wind Power facilities with respect to
• All licensed and coordinated microwave links
• Critical Information
• Coordinates, Ground Elevation, Antenna
  Centerlines, Frequencies of Operation, etc.
• Location of wind turbines (geographic area)
• Dimensions of individual turbines (tower height
  and blade diameter)
• Evaluate Fresnel zones of microwave paths for
  potential path blockage

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(No Transcript)
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RADAR Issues

• Potential signal blockage in sector of wind
  turbines
• Overload of Doppler processor
• Target detection capability reduction
• Range and target tracking degraded

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LMR, Cellular and PCS Issues

• Wind facility has minor affect on LMR, cellular
  and PCS coverage
• Repeater antennas for LMR can be located on wind
  turbine or utility towers
• Cellular and PCS base station antennas can be
  located on wind turbine or utility towers

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Possible Corrective Actions

• Microwave
• Relocation of wind turbines
• Relocation or re-engineering of microwave
  facility
• LMS, Cellular, PCS, RADAR
• Relocation of wind turbines
• Re-engineering of communication facility
• Insure separation distances from turbines based
  on application

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Proposed Distance Separations Verse Frequency Band
Frequency Range Radius (mi)
10 20 MHz 2 mi
20 225 MHz 5 mi
225 400 MHz 10 mi
400 900 MHz 20 mi
900 2000 MHz 25 mi
2.0 8.4 GHz 30 mi
8.4 15.0 GHz 20 mi
15.0 40.0 GHz 5 mi
gt 40.0 GHz 2 mi
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Example of Previous Project
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Options For Government Spectrum Users

• No Action Risk possible blockage, disruption of
  service and cost/time to resolve after the fact
• Wind Power developer to provide details of Wind
  Power facility to NTIA / IRAC for analysis by
  interested parties on an ad hoc basis
• Provide Wind Power facility data to NTIA / IRAC
  as part of a formal, to be defined, coordination
  process
• Comsearch, or others, to be provided limited
  access to GMF on an as-needed basis to perform
  analysis on behalf of operators (results provided
  to customer and NTIA / IRAC)
• Implement a blind automated system fashioned
  after the 70 - 90 GHz band
• Perform on-site measurements to determine
  government spectrum usage in the area
• Combinations of above

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Next Steps

• NTIA / IRAC discussion and feedback on process
  for dissemination of Wind Power Developers plans
  
• Identify desired options to address issues and
  establish framework for analysis and response
• Establish NTIA / IRAC points-of-contact for
  processing requests
• Establish and implement methodology to provide
  NTIA / IRAC with Wind Power facility information
  for analysis and response

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Summary

• Wind Power facilities are being developed in
  increasing numbers to provide an alternative
  source for power generation
• Wind Power facilities have the potential to
  disrupt near-by telecommunications networks due
  to their large geographical and individual
  turbine height footprints
• Wind Power developers are aware of the potential
  issues and desire to implement a process to
  facilitate coordination with all
  telecommunication operators

Solutions exist for all telecommunication users
(commercial and government) by taking pro-active
steps in the planning of the Wind Energy facility