Wind Farm Visual Impact Mitigation Solutions: An “On-Demand” Wind Farm Light Control System That Keeps Turbine Lights Off

Oklahoma Wind Working Group PresentationNovember 10, 2010

Gregory Erdmann, OCAS, Inc.Greg.erdmann@ocasinc.com 802-878-8356 1

• Wind turbine lighting is required by the FAA, but can have adverse visual impact to nearby communities.

• Communities are challenging visual issues and elevating it all over the country as more wind farms are built.

• This impact should be discussed during the permitting process.

• OCAS addresses the visual impact of wind farms.

‘Windrad bei Nacht’ Image by -5M Flickr

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Photo by D_Moechnig, copyright flickr Photo by D_Moechnig, copyright flickr 3

• What is OCAS?

• OCAS and FAA

• Why deploy an OCAS System?

• Who benefits from an OCAS System?

• Where is OCAS currently used?

• What Next?

Today’s Presentation: General Information

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What is The OCAS System?

Obstacle Collision Avoidance System• Established 2000 by two pilots from Royal Norwegian Air Force • 45 employees, offices Oslo, Norway and Vienna, VA, USA• Concept better than transponder-based system:

• Radar track aircraft• No special equipment needed in aircraft• FAA Approval

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Transmission Lines

Utility Customers include: • LG&E• PG&E• Tennessee Valley Authority• BC Transmission Corporation• E.ON• Eastern Kentucky Power Cooperative• Norske Hydro

Cable Cars: Whistler Blackcomb

Communication Towers6

Copyright marvin908 flickr

Transition into wind farms due to explosive growth and perfect fit

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What is OCAS?: Video

www.ocasinc.com

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Function• Radar detects

and tracks aircraft

• Calculates collision potential

• Activates warning lights (primary)

• Activates audio alarm (secondary)

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Wind Farm Layout with OCAS Radar

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Sample wind Farm Layouts

33 Turbines4 Radars

240 turbines15 Radars

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OCAS Radar

OCAS Radar unit installed on wind turbine tower 12

Wind turbine concept• Installed at turbine tower

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Radar Specifications

• Physical Characteristics– Height: 6’ 2” , 10’ 5” (with VHF antenna)– Diameter: 1 ft– Weight: 256 lbs– Power Input 12V DC (through AC/DC converter)– Maximum Power Output: 25W– Radar Power Output: 2W

• Radar Functionality– Interrupted CW/FMCW, 1307.5 – 1342.5 MHz (35 MHz in L

band)– Digital synthesized waveform, 2W peak (1W average,

D=0,5) output– Antenna: vertical polarized, 17 dBi, Beamwidth (-3dB)

Azimuth: 45° / Elevation 10° – Range 5 km, scan range: Azimuth 360°, Elevation +/- 28°

(extended +/- 40°)– Frequency usage: 2 channels of 250 kHz – 2 MHz,

frequency hopping (frequency usage configurable depending on other applications / users in-band and adjacent)

– FCC ID: VE8 100001 14

VHF Warning Components • 118-136 MHz, multicarrier signal• Digital synthesized carrier waveform that can

cover from 1 to all 721 channels (25 kHz) in the frequency band.

• Digital audio message, AM superimposed on multi-carrier

• Transmission duration limited to 12 s, 6 x audio messages (configurable)

• Output level: configurable, default is –9 dBm (100 μW). The level is set for a practical range of 5 – 7 km horizontal, 6000 ft vertical with standard aviation comm. radios e

• VHF antenna: 2 dBi vertical polarized, coaxial half wave dipole

• Total output (721 channels each 0 dBm): +28 dBm (0,72 W) – absolute maximum 2W

• FCC ID: VE8 142005, IC: 7189A-142005

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Environmental Characteristics• Air Temperature:

- 22°F to 122°F (Normal Operating Range)- 40°F to 149°F (Operating Limit)

• Wind: – 44mph (40 kts, Strong Gale): Normal Operation– 73mph (65 kts, Hurricane): Minor Deviations,

Including Ice & Snow Loads per ISO12494 – 112mph (96 kts, Hurricane Class 3):

Damage Limit, Safety Factor 1

• Ingress Protection: – IP44 Unit, IP54 Modules (NEMA 3 and 4)

• RoHS: Reduction of Hazardous Substances– OCAS Meets Requirements– Lead Acid Batteries are Recyclable

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Installation

The OCAS project delivery is executed for each individual system. Installation primarily includes three steps:

a) Site Survey and Preparation b) On Site Installation c) Start-up and Verification

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Installation Preparations

Activities:

1. Pre-engineering survey: Based on maps for potential system unit locations and configurations for a specific site are evaluated

2. Site Survey– Required to determine the exact location of the system units and the correct

configuration for each installation– Best performed with helicopter

3. Site Specification and Delivery Plan (2 documents)– Summarizes the conclusions from the site survey– Specifies all essential conditions on a site: Locations, configuration, power

supply etc.– Documents give an explicit allocation of responsibility for both OCAS and the

customer

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On Site Installation

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Start-up and Verification

• After a system is installed, it is necessary to allow 2 weeks to collect radar traffic statistics, calibrate and tune the radar

• Calibration: The system must be calibrated to correct for geographical conditions on site

– a small aircraft (plane or helicopter) is used– a special flight pattern is executed– the radar tracks are compared to GPS-tracks from the aircraft– requires approximately 2.5 hours flight time

• After the flight calibration the system fuctionality is verified with a final verification flight

• The system is put into operation and an acceptance test report is sent to the customer and to the FAA

• The system is entered into NOTAM

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Annual Maintenance Requirements

Annual pro-active maintenance as defined in Maintenance Plan:• Necessary cleaning of Solar Panels (if required)• Charging of Batteries (if required)• Battery replacement (if required)• Necessary maintenance on system structure

• Removal of vegation that prevents line of sight

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Operational and Maintenance Support

• Operational Control Center (OCC) Services– Uses LAN to communicate to system remotely– 24/7 monitoring– Reporting to customer

• Standard reports• Outage reporting

– Failover system (i.e. if radar would fail, then lights would remain on until repaired).

– Notice to Airman (NOTAM) Filing with FAA in case of an outage.

• Operational manpower savings due to reduced on site inspections.

• Significant power savings due to only limited use of lights. • Cost savings of minimal light replacements due to limited

operational use.

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System monitoring: OCC (OCAS Control Centre)• Central,

automated operation and supervision

• 24/7 service

• Daily download, storage, analysis and reporting of log data

• Event triggered warning

• Direct email and SMS to service person(s)

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What is an AVWS?

Audio Visual Warning System• An AVWS is the generic term for the type of system OCAS

manufactures as per FAA.

• Must be based on radar technology

• Must have both visual and audio warning capabilities

• Must be passive (on-demand).

OCAS and the FAA

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OCAS and the FAA

AVWS – FAA Definition

• AVWS is an all weather, day and night, low voltage, radar-based obstacle avoidance system that utilizes current obstruction lighting products and does not require additional equipment in an aircraft.

- Add on to existing lighting system- Obstacle: anything over 1m2

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FAA lighting requirements:

The FAA AC 70/7460-1K:”Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation”

Specific to Wind Turbines:

• Lighting scheme provides for safety of air traffic

• Wind farm contains more than 3 turbines over 200’

• Not all turbines need to be litLights within a wind farm shall have unlighted separation gaps of no more than ½ statute mile

• Lights will be synchronized (flash simultaneously)

• Lights to be only FAA L-864 (40 FPM / ~ 2000 candela) 26

FAA AC 70/74601K: MARKING AND LIGHTING WIND TURBINE FARMS: “Daytime lighting of wind turbine farms is not required, as long as the turbine structures are painted in a bright white color or light off-white color most often found on wind turbines”.

OCAS and the FAA

Photo by ockenbauer K copyright flickr

An AVWS is an acceptable form of lighting under the 70/7460 guidelines

Non-white towers = 24 hour lights

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Courtesy Tom Lahti, BLM

Simulated Shale GreenCourtesy Tom Lahti, BLM

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Simulated Covert GreenCourtesy Tom Lahti, BLM 30

FAA and OCAS

The OCAS AVWS is tested and approved by the FAA for FAA AC 70/7460-1K

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OCAS and the FCC

FCC Licensing

• OCAS Radar: FCC Part 87 FCC Identifier: VE8100001

Frequency Range: 1307.5-1342.5 Mhz

• VHF Warning Radio: FCC Identifier: VE8142005 Frequency Range: 118.0-136.0

• UHF Cluster Link Radio: FCC Part 90.217(b) Identifier: VE8142006

Frequency Range: 450.0-470.0

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Why use an OCAS System?

• Reduce visual impact of wind farms – especially at night

• Make local wind power-generating communities happy and therefore increase acceptance • Aid in the responsible growth of the wind energy industry

• Potentially reduce bird deaths

• Maintain FAA compliance for aircraft safety

• Ability to paint turbine towers other than white without 24 hour

lighting

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Who Benefits from an OCAS System?

Local Communities:

• Reduced light pollution, less visual annoyance

• Lower visual impact of wind farm

• Increased public acceptance in nearby communities due to decreased visual impact – especially at night

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Who Benefits from an OCAS System?Wind Developers

• Improve project ROI through faster permitting

• Negotiation concession

• Additional opportunities

• Increase energy output

• Less obstruction lighting maintenance • Good neighbor, great reputation, long-term strategy, increased future projects

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Who Benefits from an OCAS System?Wildlife:

• Possible lower bird deaths since migratory birds are less likely to be attracted to wind farm lights*

• Reduced Nocturnal Habitat Disruption

* Theoretical: While many studies suggest this, and confirm that birds are attracted to lights, it is not substantiated with formal study comparing deaths with no lights vs. flashing lights.

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Who Benefits from an OCAS System?

Aviation Community:

• Satisfy FAA guidelines as per FAA AC 70/7460-1K to keep skies safe

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Where is OCAS Installed?

• 65 radars in Europe, USA, Canada• Utility application since 2006• Wind farm application since Q1 2010• Cable car application since 2009

• 1,000,000 radar operative hours • Average operative UP time 99.5%• 3000 + controlled passage tests• Approved: USA, Canada, Norway• Approval process: Sweden,

Germany, UK• CE approved: EMC, Electrical safety

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Nadrensee, Germany: OCAS radar on Enertrag Vestas V90 Turbines40

What Next?

1. Talbot Wind Farm: 100 MW wind farm on Canadian shores of Lake Ontario

Developer: RES AmericasNumber of Turbines: 43 (Siemens 2.3MW) Number of radars: 10Number of lights: 22Timeline: Construction and installation in process to be completed in December 2010.

2. Swedish Wind Farm: 20 MW Wind farm in Southern Sweden

Developer: TBANumber of Turbines: 9Number of radars: 3Number of lights: 9Timeline: Construction and installation in process to be completed in December 2010.

3. Letters of Intent from several developers

4. Engineering approval from Vestas and Siemens41

Talbot Installation, OntarioLate September, 2010

Vision of the future of wind farms

OCAS AVWS: A game changer

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Questions?

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