GIS

The Use of GIS for Developing a Land use Strategy for Site Selection of Wind Farm

Table of Contents

1.Introduction3

2.What is GIS?5

3.Strategy for developing wind farm8

4.The GIS Approach9

5.Results And Analysis16

6.Conclusion16

7.References19

The Use of GIS for Developing a Land use Strategy for Site Selection of Wind Farm

Introduction

An increase in public awareness regarding the negative impact of traditional power-generating

methods, especially coal and oil-fired power stations, on the environment has created a demand for developing and using environmentally friendly renewable energy. Wind power is a popular and safe form of renewable energy(Doolittle 2009). It can be economically viable, does not produce any physical pollution and can contribute radically to the reduction in air pollution. In the UK, the demand for wind energy is mounting. However, achieving the goal set by the EU will require a substantial expansion. Planning and environmental restrictions and conflicts would inevitably accompany this growth. A questionnaire targeting relevant public and private sectors in the UK has revealed the lack of coherent national criteria for locating wind farms. Using information from the questionnaire and the available published literature, simple Geographical Information System (GIS)-assisted wind farm location criteria were developed for the UK.

There has been an increasing awareness of environmental degradation caused by anthropogenic activities such as greenhouse gases and acid rain . As the negative impact of traditional power-generating methods, principally coal and oil-fired power stations, on the environment is visibly significant, the demand for more environmentally friendly renewable energy is also growing . Consequently, these demands have been supported by recent changes in international and national laws and policies. Internationally, the Rio Summit in 1992 was the first international collaborative effort to examine the consequences of environmental impacts due to past and present anthropogenic activities. The latest to promote the use of renewable energy sources was the Conference of the Parties, Third Session, Kyoto, 1-10 December 1997. In the EU, several similar programmes were set up, including the Altener Programme and the Declaration of Madrid(Ettinger 2009). These programmes aim to treble renewable energy sources, reducing carbon dioxide emission levels and promoting collaborative efforts to substitute the equivalent of 15% energy demand in the EU with renewable energy sources . In the UK, the non-fossil fuel electricity production has been assisted by a toll paid by electricity generators from fossil fuels according to the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) in the Electricity Act of 1989.

In recent years, these factors have stimulated the development of various renewable energy technologies. Wind power is one such form of renewable energy that is expected to encounter widespread commercial success. This is mainly because wind energy can be economically viable and does not produce any physical pollution. In fact, using wind to replace just 1% of the EU's fossil energy production would avoid an annual emission of 15 million tons of carbon dioxide , therefore contributing significantly to the much-needed reduction in air pollution.

In the UK, the demand for wind energy is mounting . Since 1990 there has been a total of 205 wind projects ...