Project Purpose:
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Onshore wind energy could provide 35% of the total U.S. energy demand by 2050 (DOE, 2015) . However, given its large spatial footprint, it can also threaten sensitive habitats and the species that call those regions home. Taking development limitations and ecological concerns into consideration,
our client, The Nature Conservancy, developed a map of areas that pose a low risk to ecosystems, while still being good for development. We call these areas low-risk areas. However, these areas are not necessarily prioritized by developers; as of 2012, 70% of proposed wind power development was in non-low-risk areas (Fargione et al. 2012).
Could wind developers who prioritize these areas and avoid wildlife impact benefit?
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Turns out, project cancellation occurs frequently with wind energy projects. This risk has an important influence on a developer's decision making.
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PROJECT OBJECTIVE: Our team assessed whether locating wind power projects in areas that minimize impacts to wildlife reduces costly cancellation risk.
The "WindBelt" Region is our our region of focus. The Low-risk areas (green) are suitable for development in the Wind Belt as identified by TNC's Site Wind Right map. All other areas are called high-risk.
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Research Question:
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Focusing on the 17 Great Plains and Midwestern states collectively known as the Wind Belt, our project goal was to answer the following questions:
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1. Do wind projects sited in low-risk areas have a lower likelihood of being canceled?
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2. Are there other factors, such as negative publicity, that predict the likelihood of project cancellation?
