New Site Wind Right energy map released in Missouri

The Nature Conservancy publicly released a first-of-its-kind analysis identifying the most promising places in the Central U.S. to develop wind energy that avoid conflicts with people and wildlife. The associated mapping tool, called Site Wind Right, is available online for power purchasers, utilities, companies, agencies, and municipalities in Missouri to help build new wind projects faster, with lower costs.
In Missouri, Site Wind Right mapping revealed 1,461,704 acres available for wind development, away from important habitat for wildlife. If those low-conflict acres were built out for wind development, it could generate 44GW, which is more than double the current electrical generation capacity from all sources across the state.
“The data from Sight Wind Right shows there is ample capacity in Missouri to provide a low-impact renewable energy future,” says Adam McLane, State Director for The Nature Conservancy in Missouri. “That potential is really exciting.”
The Central U.S. is known as the “wind-belt,” where nearly 80% of the country’s current and planned wind energy capacity exists. Conservancy scientists evaluated more than one hundred sources of data on wind, land use, and wildlife across these 17 states to detect places where conflicts between wind energy and wildlife are likely to be minimal. The results were both enlightening and encouraging.
“Wind development has the potential to fragment intact wildlife habitats, negatively impacting species in Missouri such as birds, bats, and prairie grouse,” says James Cole, Director of Conservation Programs for The Nature Conservancy in Missouri. “By planning and investing wisely, we can meet our renewable energy goals, while protecting our most critical lands and habitats.”