Abstract

Desktop Approach to Wind Farm Site Prospecting
Track: Renewable Energy
Authors: Kristin Hart

Identifying areas with favorable conditions for commercial wind development is a complex task requiring inputs from various fields. Understanding spatial relationships is fundamental to the task. Desktop GIS evaluation has increased the efficiency of identifying potential areas of interest. In the past visiting an area was the first task involved in evaluating a prospective site. Field visits are still considered invaluable to early stage wind farm development; however, unnecessary and unfocused visits can be avoided when desktop GIS analysis is done prior to a visit. Using existing spatial datasets in simple overlays and running geo-processing tools like Buffer, Spatial Join, and Slope aids in compiling information about a site, identifying potential fatal flaws, and ultimately creating well defined areas of interest.