Onshore wind energy atlas for the United States accounting for land use restrictions and wind speed thresholds

Abstract

The United States will need significant wind power to address climate change and air pollution. However, reaching proposed levels of wind installations sustainably and cost-effectively necessitates a better understanding of wind energy's land requirements. The objective of this study is to reduce the barriers to wind farm development by creating a high resolution, United States-wide onshore wind atlas. The atlas provides wind speeds 100 m above ground level and accounts for the following restrictions: buildings, roads, railways, waterways, water, land use types, and existing wind turbines. Results indicate that 63% (5,852,000 km2, or 73 TW of nameplate capacity) of U.S. land area is unrestricted for wind farm development at wind speeds of 0 m/s and higher, and 27% (2,539,000 km2, or 32 TW) is available at wind speeds of 6 m/s and higher. This is sufficient to provide all-purpose 2050 U.S. energy with wind. The five states with the largest wind potential at 6 m/s or greater are Alaska, Texas, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The atlas will not only allow policymakers and wind farm developers to make more informed decisions, but it will also reduce the time, cost, and uncertainty of wind farm development, accelerating the transition to 100% clean, renewable energy.