See America's 47,000 wind turbines in new interactive map
- 13 February 2014
NEW YORK: The US Geological Survey has mapped America's wind turbines, revealing the vast stores of the clean technology to the public for the first time.
As part of analysis by the US Geological Survey on the environmental impacts of wind energy development, the agency has created a publicly available database mapping all 47,000 of the country's onshore wind turbines.
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), wind power capacity in the US more than tripled between 2008-2012, to over 60 gigawatts in total. Furthermore, with continued technology improvements and policy support, the DOE estimates that as much as 20% of projected US electricity demand could be met by wind power by 2030.
Wind energy is clearly one of the fastest-growing clean energy sectors in the US, but there hasn't been an easy way to track its precise progress until now.
Built using open data and satellite imagery, the agency created a map which details location, make, model, height, capacity and area of all of America's turbine blades.
The new data will improve Federal and state land management and open up research opportunities for the energy industry, scientists and the public. Before this research, there was no public data of this kind.
Click the image below to explore the interactive map, in which you can zoom right down to a city or state to see how many wind turbines are installed in your area.
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