Renewable energy infrastructure must improve for the nation to meet its climate goals. While that seems straightforward enough, it’s not always easy to determine the best sites to build new solar or wind farms. A new renewables map from The Nature Conservancy aims to help.

On February 8, the Nature Conservancy launched the Site Renewables Right map. The tool shows where the most impactful places to build new renewable energy infrastructure are within the central U.S. These recommendations account for both the most efficient power generation that could happen and minimizing the impact on local wildlife.

Complications With Renewable Energy Sites

According to The Nature Conservancy, 75% of the country’s new large renewable energy projects will happen in the central U.S. Current trends support this idea, as Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma have seen the largest increases in renewable energy production between 2010 and 2019.

Not all regions have the same potential for renewable energy. Just as remote work is only more eco-friendly in the summer in some areas, some types of green power systems are only effective in some regions. Finding optimal sites for this infrastructure is essential if the nation hopes to decrease its fossil fuel reliance.

While the central U.S. has massive potential for green energy, it’s also home to unique and vulnerable wildlife. Building new solar farms or wind turbines haphazardly in the region could disrupt these species. If that happens, the overall environmental impact of new renewable infrastructure may not be a net positive.

These disruptions are already visible in current green power projects. Wind turbines kill millions of migratory birds each year, and solar farms can contribute to deforestation.

How the Renewables Map Helps

The Nature Conservancy’s new renewables map helps businesses avoid these unintended consequences. The map combines more than 100 layers of data about land use, engineering and wildlife. Seeing all of these factors in the context of each other helps organizations make more informed decisions about where to build renewable energy infrastructure.

The Site Renewables Right map covers 19 states, highlighting areas that home unique or vulnerable species. Businesses can also view which parts of the area are protected lands, are relatively untouched habitats or have other biodiversity significance. This information helps disqualify any areas that would otherwise appear ideal for green energy systems.

Organizations can also filter out various layers to find the information they need faster. With the click of a button, users can see highlighted areas where wind or solar infrastructure would have a minimal environmental impact.

Importantly, the renewables map distinguishes between wildlife considerations for wind and solar power. As the map reveals, the key wildlife areas for wind differ from solar key areas. Wind may endanger some species solar doesn’t and vice versa, and renewable energy companies must understand both.

Renewables Maps’ Impact on Green Energy Growth

This renewables map data could help more than just the environmental impact of renewables. It could also encourage faster, broader adoption of green energy. Finding low-conflict areas to build new energy infrastructure can help the nation transition to clean power faster.

Cost is the most significant barrier to renewable energy adoption, and many of these costs come from the initial building phase. Site Renewables Right can help address this by streamlining pre-construction research. This consolidated database helps companies find ideal locations faster, leading to faster project lead times, decreasing overall costs.

This efficiency will also make it easier to scale existing renewable energy infrastructure. When adding more green power capacity won’t take as long or include as much disruption, businesses can reduce their carbon footprint faster. The nation could then reach its sustainability goals in less time, avoiding further climate damage.

As the renewables map reduces the sector’s overall environmental impact, it could help address social and ecological concerns around solar and wind farms. The general public could become more accepting of this infrastructure, aiding faster growth.

Data Can Enable the Green Energy Transition

The Site Renewables Right map fills a gap that’s been missing in many green energy projects: contextual data. With more insight into the broader environmental consequences of these projects, renewable energy companies can make more informed decisions.

The environment is complex, so any meaningful environmental change will involve complex calculations. Data visibility like what this renewables map provides is crucial in understanding those situations.