Navy/Marine Engineering Command Visits Sandia

Our nation relies upon a network of radars across the country to support the missions of homeland defense/security, flight safety, and weather forecasting. The air-surveillance environ-ment contains within it clutter, both stationary and moving. Wind turbines present a unique problem in that they can be both stationary and moving clutter and operate with blade tip speeds up to 200 knots, in the same range as aircraft speeds. — Our nation relies upon a network of radars across the country to support the missions of homeland defense/ security, flight safety, and weather forecasting. The air-surveillance environment contains within it clutter, both stationary and moving. Wind turbines present a unique problem in that they can be both stationary and moving clutter and operate with blade tip speeds up to 200 knots, in the same range as aircraft speeds.

Steven Chung, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest (NAVFAC SW),¹ Dwight Deakin, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR),² Melanie Anderson (NAVAIR PAX River), and David Weir, Marine Corps Installations–West (MCIWEST-MCB Camp Pendleton)³ visited Sandia June 24–25 to discuss several renewable energy/related topics:

wind-turbine/radar interaction,
photovoltaics (PV), and
cybersecurity as it relates to renewable energy.

They also discussed potential collaboration with Sandia on DOE/DOD Energy Big Ideas.

After presenting on their areas of interest, the Engineering Officer visitors toured the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) lab, and Distributed Energy Technology Laboratory (DETL) and were briefed on Sandia’s cybersecurity, grid modernization, wind energy, water power, concentrating solar power (CSP), and geothermal energy programs, and our glare tools and analyses for PV/CSP.

Sandia/DOE is developing a 3D tool that allows the user to “fly” around a power tower plant to determine the irradiance and potential ocular hazards from heliostat reflections at any location.

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¹ NAVFAC Southwest is one of ten facilities engineering commands in NAVFAC. NAVFAC Southwest is responsible for the public works, planning, engineering/design, construction, real estate, environmental services, and acquisition/disposal of facilities and real estate in a six state area on the West Coast. The command also provides public works services such as transportation, maintenance, utilities/energy delivery, facilities management and base operations support to the Navy and Marine Corps installations within its geographic area of responsibility as well as support to other federal agencies in California.

² NAVAIR’s mission is to provide full life-cycle support of naval aviation aircraft, weapons and systems operated by sailors and marines. This support includes research, design, development and systems engineering; acquisition; test and evaluation; training facilities and equipment; repair and modification; and in-service engineering and logistics support. NAVAIR is the principal provider for the Naval Aviation Enterprise, while contributing to every Warfare enterprise in the interest of national security. They embrace the privilege of their responsibility to the sailor and marine in partnership with industry, all naval aviation stakeholders, and their fellow Systems Commands.

³ Marine Corps Installations–West/Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is comprised of five Marine Corps bases and stations in Southwestern US. They provide the installation and training infrastructure to enable Marine Corps air and ground forces to develop and sustain operational readiness. To this end, their primary mission is to support training, sustaining, and deploying the warfighter, and to provide their families with services that enrich their lives.