Prospecting for wind and solar energy
3TIER's map of global wind power potential.
Renewable energy forecasting firm 3TIER provides among its services “prospecting tools” for renewable energy, indicating where the placement of wind and solar energy production sites make the most sense based on available resources of wind and sunlight.
There are, of course, a number of other factors that affect ultimate decisions about siting: while renewable energy is generally perceived positively, the logistics and costs of operating facilities have remained daunting even for big energy providers like National Grid. Technological advances continue to be made which promise to lower barriers related to cost and wildlife safety, but for now, these are common concerns. Local politics also play in, as does technical feasibility–we are learning all of this first-hand as we investigate the possibility of installing large-scale wind or solar resources at the Freshkills Park site. 3TIER’s prospecting tools don’t offer insight on these issues, but they are a good way to start conversation.
(via Good)
