OCS Study BOEM 2020-039 Radar Interference Analysis for Renewable Energy Facilities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf US Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs OCS Study BOEM 2020-039 Radar Interference Analysis for Renewable Energy Facilities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf August 2020 Authors Russell J. Colburn Christian A. Randolph Chelsea Drummond Michael W. Miles Frank C. Brody Christian D. McGillen Andrew S. Krieger Rachel E. Jankowski Prepared the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under BPA No. 140M0118A0002. Call Order 140M0119F0015 By Booz Allen Hamilton 8283 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102 US Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs DISCLAIMER Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under Contract Number 14M0119C0004. This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. REPORT AVAILABILITY To download a PDF file of this report, go to the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Data and Information Systems webpage (http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies- EnvData/), click on the link for the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS), and search on 2020-039. The report is also available at the National Technical Reports Library at https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/. CITATION Colburn R., Randolph C., Drummond C., Miles M., Brody F., McGillen C., Krieger A., Jankowski R., Aug. 2020. Radar interference analysis for renewable energy facilities on the Atlantic outer continental shelf.. McLean, VA: US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. OCS Study BOEM 2020-039. 189 p. OCS Study BOEM 2020-039 Final Report Radar Interference Analysis for Renewable Energy Facilities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Authors Russell J. Colburn Christian A. Randolph Chelsea Drummond Michael W. Miles Frank C. Brody Christian D. McGillen Andrew S. Krieger Rachel E. Jankowski Prepared the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under BPA No. 140M0118A0002. Call Order 140M0119F0015 By Booz Allen Hamilton 8283 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs August 2020 CONTENTS List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ......................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Wind Farm Scenario Development ............................................................................................ 1 2.2 Radars of Concern ....................................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Line of Sight Modeling ................................................................................................................ 4 2.4 Radar Interference Modeling ..................................................................................................... 5 2.5 Mitigation Techniques ............................................................................................................... 28 2.6 Ducting Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 29 3 Results .............................................................................................................................................. 31 3.1 Radar Modeling.......................................................................................................................... 31 3.2 Mitigation Techniques ............................................................................................................. 121 3.3 Ducting Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 126 4 Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................ 140 5 References ...................................................................................................................................... 141 Appendix A LOS Plots ...................................................................................................................... A-1 i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ACK Radar code for Nantucket, MA ACY Radar code for Atlantic City, NJ ADS-B Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast AFB Air Force Base AGU American Geophysical Union AMDAR Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay ARSR Air Route Surveillance Radar ASC Action Script Communication ASR Airport Surveillance Radar BOS Radar code for Boston, MA BOEM Bureau of Ocean Energy Management C&I Correlation and Interpolation CFAR Constant False Alarm Rate CHH Radar code for Chatham, MA CHS Radar code for Charleston, SC CODAR Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar CNS/ATM Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management COP Construction and Operations Plan CPI Coherent Processing Interval DoD Department of Defense DOI Department of the Interior EIS Environmental Impact Statement EM Electromagnetic ES Executive Summary ESRI Environmental Systems Research Institute EWIR Electronic Warfare Integrated Reprogramming FAA Federal Aviation Administration FEKO FEldberechnung für Körper mit beliebiger Oberfläche FFT Fast Fourier Transform FM/CW Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave FMH Radar code for Falmouth, MA FOL First Order Line GIB Radar code for Gibbsboro, NJ GIS Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System GRIB Gridded Binary HF High Frequency HRRR High-Resolution Rapid Refresh IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IET Institute of Engineering and Technology IFF “Identification, Friend or Foe” JGR Journal of Geophysical Research KBOX Radar code for Boston, MA KDIX Radar code for Mt. Holly, NJ KDOX Radar code for Dover, DE KEWR Radar code for Newark, NJ KISP Radar code for Islip, NY KJFK Radar code for Jasper, NY KOKX Radar code for Upton, NY ii KPHL Radar code for Philadelphia, PA KPVD Radar code for Warwick, RI LFM Linear Frequency Modulation LIDAR Light Detection and Ranging LOS Line of Sight MF Medium Frequency MHX Radar code for Morehead City, NC MTD Moving Target Detector MTI Moving Target Indicator MUSIC Multiple Signal Classification MW Megawatt NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NEXRAD Next Generation Weather Radar NLFM Non-Linear Frequency Modulation NM Nautical Mile NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NWS National Weather Service OCS Outer Continental Shelf OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer OTH Over-the-Horizon PAT Plot Amplitude Thresholding PCR Pulse Compression Ratio PD Pulsed Doppler PRF Pulse Repetition Frequency PRI Pulse Repetition Intervals QVH Radar code for Riverhead, NY RAG Range Azimuth Gating RCS Radar Cross Section RI/MA Massachusetts/ Rhode Island Cumulative Scenario RPM Rotations Per Minute SF South Fork SIUL Self-Initiated Upward Lightning SME Subject Matter Expert SNR Signal-to-Noise Ratio STC Sensitivity Time Control SRTM-2 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission-Level 2 TDWR Terminal Doppler Weather Radar TRL Technology Readiness Level UTC Coordinated Universal Time VCP Volume Coverage Programs VHF Very High Frequency VWP VAD Wind Profile WFO Weather Forecast Office WGS World Geodetic System WSR Weather Surveillance Radar WTCI Wind Turbine Clutter/Interference WTRIM Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation YQI Radar code for Yarmouth, ME iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is responsible for leasing portions of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for renewable energy development, including offshore wind energy installations. As the lead agency for renewable energy leasing on the OCS, BOEM is also responsible for studying the potential impacts of offshore wind energy leasing, including socioeconomic impacts to other OCS users under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The presence of wind energy installations is known to impact radar systems as wind turbines consist of large metal structures that can generate a return signal to radars. Radar signals generated by objects other than the intended targets (e.g., the ground, artificial structures, wind turbines), are referred to as “clutter” or “interference,” and represent a potential impact to be investigated under NEPA. In April of 2019, BOEM engaged Booz Allen Hamilton (Booz Allen) through Call Order 140M0119F0015 to study how proposed and hypothetical future offshore wind energy installations on the Atlantic coast may impact land-based