Site Assessment Factors and Available Data

	Factor	Explanation	Available Data
	Wind Resources	NREL divides wind resources into 7 zones according to wind speed and wind prevalence (density). Zones 4-7 have the best wind.	Wind low resolution: US at 50m height Wind higher resolution: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, HI, IN, MA, ME,MI, Mid-Atlantic region, MO, ND, NE, NH, OH, Pacific NW region, RI, SD UT, VT - all at 50m height
	Solar Resources	Areas with few rainy days and cloud cover offer the best solar conditions. A solar PV array achieves its highest output when facing south and loses about 7-8% of its output facing SE or SW.	US, HI - average annual and monthly data for PV arrays
	Hydro Resources	Stream resources for potential small hydroelectric plants	US, HI, AK - power potential between 100kW and 30MW
	Wind Resource Modeling	Model wind resources at your site using Meteodyn's professional computational fluid mechanics model and display the results in Google Earth.	Worldwide. Requires wind measurement data. Contact us for details.
	Distance to Airport	FAA regulations require tall structures like wind turbines to be distanced from airport runways so as not to interfere with flight traffic.	US
	Weather Radar Interference	Wind turbines can produce false radar readings. If located within 10km of a weather radar station, interference is highly likely.	US
	Conservation Lands	Energy development on conservation lands like national parks or wildlife refugees is prohibited.	Western US
	Avian Activity	Wind projects may require an environmental impact study (EIS). Wind turbines may affect birds, bats and other wildlife if they are located near a breeding ground or migration path.	Important bird areas in the western US
	Historic Places	Projects in proximity of a historic place may run into opposition.	US
	Roads	Access roads for bringing in building materials.	Worldwide
	Transmission Lines	Proximity to an existing transmission line is an important cost and scheduling factor for grid-connected projects.	US - locations are approximations only. Contact your local electric utility about grid connections.
	Zoning Laws	Wind projects may require changes to local zoning laws and special building permits. Solar projects usually require regular building permits.	Check with your local planning board
	Noise	Some localities require noise studies to determine wind turbine noise.	Not available