Presentation Description: Agencies and industry face the task of finding lands with the best opportunity for renewable development. ICF is an industry leader in siting and routing for renewable projects and transmission. We have developed and continue to develop spatial models and tools for assessing the viability of wind, solar, transmission and other projects at local (project specific), regional and national levels for land managers and industry clients. These models are customizable to the projects we work on and include constraints for avoidance areas, exclusion areas and areas of opportunity.
Example Exclusion/Avoidance Areas:
-Residences and sensitive receptors
-Existing and proposed infrastructure
-Landowners/jurisdiction
-Species habitat/occurrence
-Topography
-Cities/towns/communities/subdivisions
-Waters/wetlands
-Geologic Hazards
-Flood hazards
-Protected lands
-Recreation areas
-Historic and cultural resources
-Example Areas of Opportunity
-High solar irradiance
-Areas of high-quality wind resources
-Favorable landowners
-Topography
These models help us to identify lands that are suitable for specific projects as well as assist with developing alternatives using weighted rankings.
Included here in, is a display of the layers and resources that combine in these models. In addition, this poster includes some examples of transmission line routes and solar, wind and other projects that we have supported through these modeling and analytical efforts.
