Wind Power GeoPlanner. Land Mobile Report - UPDATE

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1 Prepared on Behalf of Iberdrola Renewables, LLC December 13, 2012

2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction Summary of Results Impact Assessment Conclusions Recommendations & Mitigation Measures Contact Us Comsearch Proprietary December 13, 2012

3 1. Introduction Comsearch compiles and provides information on land mobile sites identified within or near a defined area of interest related to proposed wind energy facilities. This information is useful in the planning stages of the wind energy facilities to identify fixed land mobile stations where critical telecommunication services are provided such as emergency response (police, fire, 911, etc.), public safety and local government communications, and industrial and business wireless radio operations. This data can be used in support of the wind energy facilities communications needs or to avoid any potential impact to the current land mobile services provided in that region. On behalf of, Comsearch conducted this update to the Land Mobile Radio assessment to evaluate possible impacts to Land Mobile Radio reception as a result of proposed changes in turbine type and minor turbine shifts since the original analysis. The findings of this updated analysis are the same as the original study conducted in January 2008, which concluded that no impacts to Land Mobile Radio telecommunications would be expected as a result of the Project. 2. Summary of Results Our land mobile report is derived from the FCC s Universal Licensing System (ULS). The data is imported into GIS software and the land mobile sites are geographically mapped with the wind energy area of interest defined by the customer. Each site on the map is identified by an ID number associated with site information provided in a data table. Comsearch Proprietary December 13, 2012

4 Figure 1: Land Mobile Sites in the Area of Interest Figure 1 identifies five land mobile sites in the wind energy project area of interest using the data sources described in our methodology above. Our initial study in January 2008 identified all land mobile sites within 22 miles of the center of the project. For this update, only sites inside the area of interest were analyzed because we implemented setback criterion based on FCC interference emissions as specified in Part 15 of the FCC rules. The setback criterion indicates that only those sites within approximately 80 meters of a wind turbine are of concern. Specific information about these sites is provided in Table 1, including location coordinates, frequency band, antenna height above ground level, and licensee name. ID Call Sign Frequency Band (MHz) 1 WQGX WPWX , Licensee JKL Communications LLC Green Mountain Power Corporation Antenna Height AGL (m) City/State Latitude Longitude Distance to Nearest Turbine (km) 9.8 Searsburg, VT Searsburg, VT Comsearch Proprietary December 13, 2012

5 ID Call Sign Frequency Band (MHz) 3 WPXX WQGS WPRA Licensee Green Mountain Power Corporation Green Mountain Power Corporation TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc. Antenna Height AGL (m) City/State Latitude Longitude Distance to Nearest Turbine (km) 33.5 Searsburg, VT Searsburg, VT Searsburg, VT Impact Assessment Table 1: Summary of Land Mobile Sites The land mobile communications as described in this report are typically unaffected by the presence of wind turbines and we do not anticipate any significant harmful effect to these services in project area as either a result of the original project of due to the proposed change in turbine type. Although each of these services operates in different frequency ranges and provides different types of service including voice, video and data applications, there is commonality among these different networks in regards to the impact of wind turbines on their service. Each of these networks is designed to operate reliably in a nonline-of-sight (NLOS) environment. Many land mobile systems are designed with multiple base transmitter stations covering a large geographic area with overlap between adjacent transmitter sites in order to provide handoff between cells, and any signal blockage caused by the wind turbines does not materially degrade the reception because the end user is likely receiving signals from multiple transmitter locations. Additionally, the frequencies of operation for these services have characteristics that allow the signal to propagate through wind turbines. As a result, very little, if any, change in their coverage should occur when the wind turbines are installed. When planning the wind energy turbine locations in the area of interest, a conservative approach would dictate not locating any turbines within approximately 80 meters of land mobile fixed-base stations to avoid any possible impact to the communications services provided by these stations. This distance is based on FCC interference emissions from electrical devices in the cellular and land mobile frequency bands in accordance with Part 15, Paragraph of the FCC regulations. The closest land mobile site to the turbines is licensed under callsign WQGX512. Using aerial imagery, we determined that the FCC-licensed coordinates for WQGX512 are inaccurate and the tower location is most likely at N, W. Figure 2 below depicts the situation. Comsearch Proprietary December 13, 2012

6 Figure 2: Land Mobile Site WQGX512 s Adjusted Location 4. Conclusions Using the new proposed turbine types and adjustment in coordinates, the closest land mobile site, WQGX512, is located 156 meters from proposed turbine #3. This exceeds the recommended separation distance for wireless emissions in the land mobile bands. All other land mobile fixed sites are located at even greater distances from the turbines. Thus no negative impact on the land mobile communication services should occur as a result of either the original Project of as a result of the proposed change in turbine type. Comsearch Proprietary December 13, 2012

7 5. Recommendations & Mitigation Measures Based on our impact assessment, we do not anticipate any harmful obstruction to land mobile systems in the project area. In the unlikely event that a land mobile licensee believes its coverage has been compromised by the presence of the wind energy facility, it has many options to improve its signal coverage to the area through optimization of a nearby base station or by adding a repeater site. 6. Contact Us For questions or information regarding the Land Mobile Report, please contact: Contact person: Denise Finney Title: Account Manager Company: Comsearch Address: Janelia Farm Blvd., Ashburn, VA Telephone: Fax: dfinney@comsearch.com Web site: Comsearch Proprietary December 13, 2012