RESOURCE MAPPING
WIND POWER MAPS (link)
New high-resolution,
state-of-the-art maps of wind energy potential are now available
for the Northwest. Resource estimates are easily accessible
to the public through an interactive Geographic Information
System (GIS) website.
Through a zoom-in web interface allowing quick site look-ups,
along with forthcoming supporting data sheets and an automated
payback calculator, the maps will greatly aid rural landowners
and communities in exploring economic opportunities to harness
wind energy.
The project is coordinated by NW Sustainable Energy for Economic
Development (NWSEED) and the NW Cooperative Development Center
(NWCDC) and sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL), the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and numerous
other organizations.
Although the new wind maps do not eliminate the need for on-site
wind resource measurement, they can help utilities and developers
gain a better understanding of where the best wind resource
areas are and screen out less promising areas, significantly
minimizing the cost and timing of prospecting. They are also
intended to aid landowners in making a first-cut feasibility
analysis for installing distributed wind turbines to supply
power for homes, farms and ranches.
NWSEED hopes that these new maps ultimately
drive down the costs of wind power and ensure that public
interests are protected as the Northwest's wind resources
are developed.
• Presentation
on True Wind MesoMap Wind Mapping System
RENEWABLE ENERGY ATLAS OF THE WEST (link)
The Atlas is an 80-page, full-color presentation
of the renewable energy resources in the West, including newly-released
high-resolution wind maps of the Pacific Northwest. The Atlas
profiles wind, solar, geothermal and biomass power. The Atlas
is for anyone interested in renewable energy in the West,
including advocates, developers, landowners, and policy makers.
Sponsored by the Hewlett Foundation and The
Energy Foundation, the Atlas was created by the Land and Water
Fund of the Rockies, Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic
Development (SEED), Green Info Network and Integral GIS. Learn
more about these organizations and others who contributed
to the Atlas.
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SUSTAINABLE
ENERGY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
