Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States
Abstract Although installed wind power generation capacity in the United States reached 132 GW in 2021, more than quadruple the capacity in 2008, a noticeable void exists in the Southeast. Scant wind power development in this region is due to relatively poorer wind resources, other competitive energ...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Wind Energy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2868 |
| _version_ | 1797626706708660224 |
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| author | Xueying Feng Shawn Li Elizabeth L. Kalies Caitlin Markus Peter Harrell Dalia Patiño‐Echeverri |
| author_facet | Xueying Feng Shawn Li Elizabeth L. Kalies Caitlin Markus Peter Harrell Dalia Patiño‐Echeverri |
| author_sort | Xueying Feng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Although installed wind power generation capacity in the United States reached 132 GW in 2021, more than quadruple the capacity in 2008, a noticeable void exists in the Southeast. Scant wind power development in this region is due to relatively poorer wind resources, other competitive energy sources, and political opposition. However, the dramatic increases in wind turbine hub height, which allow harvesting the faster wind speeds that occur farther from the ground, combined with a growing sense of urgency to develop renewable energy, point to a near future with significant wind development everywhere, including the Southeast. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm for replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources is tempered by fears that the vast land requirements of utility‐scale wind farms may disrupt valuable ecosystems. In this paper, we identify the areas where installed wind power capacity is least likely to disrupt wildlife and sensitive natural areas in the southeastern United States. The generated maps exclude geographic areas unsuitable for wind power development due to environmental concerns or technical considerations corresponding to five categories. The resulting geospatial product suggests that even after removing sizable areas from consideration, there is significant land for wind development to meet the Southeast's energy needs and clean energy goals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:14:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a47db7eddcac424d9e5e148eaa250a91 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1095-4244 1099-1824 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:14:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wind Energy |
| spelling | doaj.art-a47db7eddcac424d9e5e148eaa250a912023-11-16T11:57:30ZengWileyWind Energy1095-42441099-18242023-12-0126121254127510.1002/we.2868Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United StatesXueying Feng0Shawn Li1Elizabeth L. Kalies2Caitlin Markus3Peter Harrell4Dalia Patiño‐Echeverri5Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina USANicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina USANicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina USANicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina USANicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina USANicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina USAAbstract Although installed wind power generation capacity in the United States reached 132 GW in 2021, more than quadruple the capacity in 2008, a noticeable void exists in the Southeast. Scant wind power development in this region is due to relatively poorer wind resources, other competitive energy sources, and political opposition. However, the dramatic increases in wind turbine hub height, which allow harvesting the faster wind speeds that occur farther from the ground, combined with a growing sense of urgency to develop renewable energy, point to a near future with significant wind development everywhere, including the Southeast. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm for replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources is tempered by fears that the vast land requirements of utility‐scale wind farms may disrupt valuable ecosystems. In this paper, we identify the areas where installed wind power capacity is least likely to disrupt wildlife and sensitive natural areas in the southeastern United States. The generated maps exclude geographic areas unsuitable for wind power development due to environmental concerns or technical considerations corresponding to five categories. The resulting geospatial product suggests that even after removing sizable areas from consideration, there is significant land for wind development to meet the Southeast's energy needs and clean energy goals.https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2868conservationGISSoutheast regionwind energy |
| spellingShingle | Xueying Feng Shawn Li Elizabeth L. Kalies Caitlin Markus Peter Harrell Dalia Patiño‐Echeverri Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States Wind Energy conservation GIS Southeast region wind energy |
| title | Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States |
| title_full | Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States |
| title_fullStr | Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States |
| title_short | Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States |
| title_sort | low impact siting for wind power facilities in the southeast united states |
| topic | conservation GIS Southeast region wind energy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2868 |
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