Wind Turbine-Radar Interference Mitigation Working Group

Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2014 and updated in 2023 and building off the successful Interagency Field Test and Evaluation of Wind Turbine-Radar Interference Mitigation Technologies, the following federal agencies agreed to participate in the Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation (WTRIM) Working Group to address these conflicts:

  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is currently an observer of the WTRIM Working Group.

By 2025, the WTRIM Working Group seeks to:

  • Address wind turbine radar interference as an impact to critical radar missions
  • Ensure the long-term resilience of radar operations in the presence of wind turbines
  • Remove radar interference as an impediment to future wind energy development.

The U.S. Department of Energy partners with multiple laboratories that assist with these efforts:

  • Sandia National Laboratories
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  • MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Federal Interagency Wind Turbine Radar Interference Strategy

To achieve the objectives listed above, the WTRIM Working Group coordinates activities within three broad strategic themes:

screen capture image of Tool for Siting, Planning, and Encroachment Analysis for Renewables (TSPEAR)

Sandia National Laboratories Tool for Siting, Planning, and Encroachment Analysis for Renewables (TSPEAR)

Strategic Theme 1: Improving the capacity of government and industry to evaluate the impacts of existing and planned wind energy installations on sensitive radar systems

image of radar installation and wind turbines showing improved range resolution

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory Increased Range Resolution Algorithm

Strategic Theme 2: Developing and facilitating the deployment of hardware and software mitigation measures to increase the resilience of existing radar systems to wind turbines

Spectrum Efficient National Surveillance Radar (SENSR) Wind Turbine Specifications Development

Strategic Theme 3: Encouraging the development of next-generation radar systems that are resistant to wind turbine radar interference

More information on the strategy and technical solutions can be found in the Federal Interagency Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation Strategy and the Offshore Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation Webinar Series.