AbstractVisualization Techniques for Communicating Environmental Impacts of Solar Energy DevelopmentTrack: Environmental Management Author The rapid development of utility-scale solar energy in the southwestern United States is an important component of the nation's effort to maximize use of renewable energy sources to meet the increasing demand for electricity. Public stakeholders are concerned about potential environmental impacts from utility scale solar energy development, but may be unfamiliar with large-scale solar technologies, associated environmental effects, and the remote desert landscapes in which many solar projects will be built. This paper discusses the use of GIS mashups, Google Earth landscape visualizations, GeoPDFs, and interactive photo panoramas for Web-based presentation of potential visual and other environmental impacts from proposed solar energy development on public lands at multiple locations in the southwestern United States. These easy-to-use, interactive geospatial tools allow stakeholders to explore the relationship of desert landscapes to the wide variety of environmental data essential to understanding the potential impacts from utility-scale solar energy projects. Robert Sullivan Argonne National Laboratory 9700 S. Cass Ave. Argonne, Illinois 60439 United States Phone: 630-252-6182 E-mail: sullivan@anl.gov Brian Cantwell Argonne National Laboratory 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, Illinois 60439 United States Phone: 630-252-6802 E-mail: bcantwell@anl.gov Pamela Richmond Argonne National Laboratory 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, Illinois 60439 United States Phone: 630-252-7207 E-mail: pdrichmond@anl.gov James Kuiper Argonne National Laboratory 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, Illinois 60439 United States Phone: 630-252-6206 E-mail: jkuiper@anl.gov |