27581 San Diego Gas And
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION San Diego Gas and Electric Company File No. 0103-EX-PL-2015 Reference No.: 27581 San Diego Gas and Electric Company (“SDG&E” or “Company”) requested an experimental authorization that would allow it to deploy 449 MHz Radar Wind Profilers (“RWPs”) at two sites in Southern California. As the Company explained in its application, the data obtained from the RWPs is essential to SDG&E’s research in modeling atmospheric characteristics that are expected to be significant in predicting wind conditions that contribute to dangerous fire activity. The application was supported by the National Weather Service (“NWS”), which explained that SDG&E would contribute to the NWS research by collecting data beyond surface data, specifically “critical wind data from multiple levels of the atmosphere.” The NWS also stated that, “These data will add tremendous value to our numerical weather modeling efforts….” The objective of this research into wind condition prediction is better protection of safety of life and property in Southern California. Timely and accurate forecasts of Santa Ana winds are critically important to SDG&E's emergency preparedness activities. The Company is all too aware that sparks from overhead power lines and other electrical equipment can result in large and destructive wildfires. It is anticipated that the data collected from atmospheric profilers, including 449 MHz RWPs, during Santa Ana wind events will improve the weather forecast models upon which SDG&E and others rely to prepare for these potentially catastrophic fire-weather events. (See Attachment A). Further, while the Company cannot say with absolute certainty what data will be obtained from its experimental operation of a 449 MHz RWP, it will be shared with other stakeholders in the meteorological community to ensure greater public awareness and safety during periods of dangerous fire-weather conditions. The following is a list of stakeholders with whom the Company will share this data: 1) The National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in San Diego, CA a. Supports aviation forecasts, fire weather forecasts and warnings, and severe weather forecasts and warnings. b. Data may be leveraged by Incident Meteorologists (IMET) responsible for providing weather support during major incidents, including wildfire and HAZMAT disasters. 2) Los Angeles Center Weather Service Unit (ZLA) a. Supports the issuance of Center Weather Advisories to private pilots, control towers, flight service stations, and commercial airlines in the greater Southern California area. 3) The Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center’s (GACC South Ops) Predictive Services group. a. Supports daily fire potential forecasts which, in turn, support firefighter resource allocation across multiple fire agencies in Southern California. 4) The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District a. Supports air quality forecasts for San Diego County. 5) The Navy Fleet Weather Center at Naval Air Station North Island a. Supports forecasts for weather-sensitive Navy operations. 6) UCSD Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering a. Data may be used to make improvements to weather forecast models. b. Supports the development and improvement of renewable energy forecasts. SDG&E also has given further consideration to the locations it had proposed for deployment of its 449 MHz RWPs. It recognizes that the requested site in San Clemente has raised concerns about whether its proximity to San Diego might permit interference to Remote Pickup Broadcast and/or amateur operations in that area. Experience with even higher-power 449 MHz RWPs in other markets of at least equivalent population suggests that interference would not be an issue. Nonetheless, the Company has determined that its research efforts can be satisfied with data collected from the proposed Borrego Springs location and will modify its application to delete the San Clemente site. The Borrego Springs site is approximately 61 miles/99 kms from the center of San Diego. It is in an area that would qualify as rural and very lightly populated by any standard. Moreover, as shown on Attachment B (Figures 4-8), the site sits in a basin surrounded by mountainous terrain. There is substantial shielding between this location and population centers in the area, including San Diego. In addition to the natural topographic protection provided by the site and its remote location, the Company is confident that the RWP it will be using has been designed to further mitigate any potential for interference. Attachment B describes in detail the configuration of the equipment it will be using, including the side lobe attenuation, filtering, clutter fence and other features that enable this RWP to be a compatible neighbor to other spectrum users. SDG&E recognizes the obligations to which it would be subject should the FCC grant this experimental application. It would operate on a secondary basis to licensees of primary authorizations and would be obligated to cease operation immediately should it cause interference to their transmissions. For all the reasons described in Attachment B, SDG&E is confident that deployment of the Raptor XBS-T at that site presents no real possibility of interference to other entities, but it remains committed to full cooperation with protected licensees and with the FCC should an issue arise. ATTACHMENT A SDG&E Radar Wind Profiler (RWP) Research Efforts: Steve Vanderburg Senior Meteorologist, Electric Distribution Operations San Diego Gas & Electric August 3, 2015 Overview: Santa Ana winds are associated with many of the largest, most destructive wildfires in our region’s history. For years, it was thought that the strongest winds occurred where air was funneled through passes and canyons. However, recent observations from our service territory indicate otherwise. We have since learned that Santa Ana winds are analogous to rapids in a river, though much more research is needed to better understand this phenomenon. As part of our research efforts, SDG&E has acquired two atmospheric profilers to be used in tandem to obtain vertical profiles of wind and stability on both the windward and leeward side of the mountains during Santa Ana wind events. We hope this data will enable us to better predict the severity and extent of strong winds during Santa Ana wind events. 915 MHz RWP: The data we collect from the 915 MHz RWP will be used to relate wind gusts as measured by the SDG&E mesonet to the vertical profiles of wind and stability (up to 2 km in height) within the downslope portion of the wave (coastal side of the mountains). See image above. This will hopefully lead to the creation of skillful wind gust parameterizations for various Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models such as the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. 449 MHz RWP: The data we collect from the 449 MHz RWP will be used to relate upstream vertical profiles of wind and stability (up to 5 km in height) to the resultant mountain wave activity (severity and extent of the winds) on the downstream side of the mountains. See image above. This will hopefully lead to the creation of semi-idealized models that predict how Santa Ana winds will behave in response to subtle changes in upstream conditions. A 915 MHz RWP does not have the vertical range necessary to meet these requirements. A B This photograph is an example of stable air spilling over terrain and into a hydraulic jump. Santa Ana winds behave in a similar way but are much stronger and occur under clear skies with very low humidity. High-resolution model cross-section of Santa Ana winds in San Diego County. The 915 MHz RWP is located near point A and the 449 MHz RWP would be located in Borrego near point B. ATTACHMENT B 1022 West 23rd Street, Suite 620, Panama City, Florida 32401 USA Tel 850.763.7200 117 South Sunset St. Suite L, Longmont Colorado 80501 USA Tel 303.848.8090 Web www.detect-inc.com Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radars – Wind Energy Avian Radar Systems – Security Radar Systems – Radar Wind Profilers Attachment B, SDG&E 449-MHz Radar Wind Profiler Experimental Application RAPTOR XBS-T, Inherent Interference Mitigation Attributes 1 Introduction San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) has applied for an experimental frequency license to test the effectiveness and operations of a DeTect, Inc. (DeTect) RAPTOR XBS-T (XBS-T) Radar Wind Profiler (RWP) for support of Santa Ana Winds research and use in wildfire support. As an adjunct to SDG&E’s application, this document contains relevant information about the XBS-T operations that pertain directly to its ability to mitigate inference to and from other RF systems. The following treatment is divided into: 1) Technical information about the model RAPTOR XBS-T, 2) Information related to the site-specific operations in Borrego Springs, California, and 3) General information regarding radar wind profiler operations. The essential points of this document are that modern 449.0 MHz horizontally-polarized wind profiler radar radiates minimal interference power through low elevation sidelobes into adjacent bands; a sidelobe-reduction clutter fence is integral to the XBS-T; and any residual energy will be effectively contained within the Borrego Valley by terrain. 2 RAPTOR XBS-T Built-In Interference Mitigation The following subsections describe specific attributes of the XBS-T radar wind profiler that mitigate interference to other systems. The important attributes are amplitude tapering and clutter fencing to minimize low-elevation angle ERP, pulse filtering to minimize necessary bandwidth, and transmitter linearity and transmitter protection to minimize spurious products. Figure 1 shows the complete XBS-T system, including the electronics trailer and the antenna trailer. Table 1 gives system specifications. Page 1 of 22 The information contained and/or attached to this document is for the intended recipient only and may not be distributed to third parties in any form without the express written consent of the DeTect, Inc.