Renewable Energy Siting: Collocating Wind Energy and Ethanol Production in Kansas

This analysis uses GIS to select areas that are most suitable for the collocation of wind turbines and ethanol-producing corn crops. Wind Resource Area (WRA) identification is the first step in identifying these prime collocation sites. Many aspects must be evaluated when identifying and selecting WRAs including the wind energy resource, proximity to transmission lines, land use, and land management. The second step in identifying collocation sites is to determine the current land-use areas designated as agricultural. The intersection of Wind Resource Areas and agricultural lands identifies the most suitable sites for the collocation of wind turbines and corn crops.

Courtesy of Tetra Tech EC, Inc.