Coal, petroleum, natural gas, and other fossil fuels have traditionally been the leading sources of electric power generation in the United States. Interest in finding new sources of electric power generation has grown in recent years for many reasons, including:
- Environmental Impacts: Combustion of fossil fuels regularly accounts for the majority of the United States' anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
- Waste Generation: Most fossil fuel power plants have low efficiencies; a traditional coal-fired power plant has an efficiency of roughly 32-36%.
- Cost: Finding fossil fuel sources costs money, and this cost could likely increase in the coming years; the Earth has a limited supply of fossil fuels and these fuels will become harder and harder to find.
- Legislation: Twenty-seven states have passed Renewables Portfolio Standards (RPS), mandates that require electric utility companies to have a specific percentage of renewable energy in their electric generation portfolios.
- Other Political Influence: President Obama has stated that he aims to decrease the United States' dependency on foreign oil and that he will also invest in renewable energy research.
Current movements in support of renewable energy and RPS guidelines will push electric utility companies to develop renewable forms of electricity generation and maintain a specific percentage of renewable energy in their electric generation portfolio. Although the availability of natural resources influences the selection of a site for renewable development, power developers must also consider several other factors:
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Geological factors: Uneven terrain can greatly impact the cost of installing a wind turbine or solar facility. In addition, wind turbines need to be installed in specific ground or seabed conditions to ensure stability of the tower.
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Ecological Concerns: Wind turbines, albeit slightly, contribute to bird and bat mortality and can also impact the well-being of other animals, such as the sage grouse chicken. The installation of an offshore wind turbine also uproots seabed grasses, and thus should not be installed in areas with endangered or protected marine life.
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Current land use: Several areas are off-limits to renewables development, including national monuments, national parks, wildlife preserves, shipping lanes, and commercial fishing areas.
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Legislation: State or federal laws can prohibit a renewable project from breaking ground. On the other hand, some states offer incentives for renewables development.
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Utility Transmission Infrastructure and Load Demand: Somehow, the renewable energy has to be transferred to the consumer.
Using a high-level, systems-thinking approach, we would like to investigate all of the different factors affecting renewables development and develop a defined procedure that developers could use to determine a site's potential for renewable energy development. |