{"id":749892,"date":"2025-05-13T18:03:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T01:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcuser&p=749892"},"modified":"2025-05-13T18:03:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T01:03:55","slug":"location-intelligence-guides-renewable-energy-construction","status":"publish","type":"arcuser","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/location-intelligence-guides-renewable-energy-construction","title":{"rendered":"Location Intelligence Guides Renewable Energy Construction"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24962],"tags":[163382,281,492112,475672,492122],"arcuser_issues":[492012],"class_list":["post-749892","arcuser","type-arcuser","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-focus","tag-arcgis-online","tag-location-intelligence","tag-pattern-energy","tag-site-scan-for-arcgis","tag-sunzia","arcuser_issues-spring-2025"],"acf":{"short_description":"Drones and enterprise mapping have allowed Pattern Energy to track every step of the largest wind energy project in the Western Hemisphere.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"In 2023, construction kicked off in New Mexico and Arizona on the largest wind energy project in the Western Hemisphere. Pattern Energy\u2019s $11 billion SunZia will provide 3,000 megawatts of clean energy from 916 wind turbines, and its 550-mile transmission line will carry enough power for three million Americans when it comes online in 2026. Not only do the region\u2019s consistently high wind speeds make it a fantastic source of wind power, but the demand for this type of renewable energy is close by.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe shape of power makes a good match between the source of power in New Mexico and the market across the Southwest,\u201d said David Janssen, project director of engineering and construction at Pattern Energy. \u201cAs the sun goes down in California and Arizona and the solar panels are going offline, the wind is picking up in New Mexico.\u201d\r\n\r\nSunZia has been years in the making, and every step was meticulously planned. The size and complexity of the project required using GIS technology at an enterprise scale from the start. Along with volumes of data and drones equipped with Site Scan for ArcGIS, a shared mapping solution called Maps to Megawatts, developed by Esri partner Aegean Energy Group, has helped manage all phases of the project.\r\n\r\nMaps to Megawatts is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution created with ArcGIS Online that is specifically designed for renewable energy development projects. It incorporates software such as ArcGIS Dashboards and ArcGIS Hub to more efficiently communicate geographic information. Pattern Energy uses the SunZia Maps to Megawatts ArcGIS Online instance to create web applications that support\u00a0environmental impact assessments, site selection, transmission routing, and construction. The solution aggregates data using dashboards that track progress and helps coordinate the many project phases."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":749902,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cWe have dashboards tracking construction progress, showing captured drone imagery in relation to the design, and dashboards we\u2019ve shared with the Bureau of Land Management [BLM] that track environmental information,\u201d said Michelle Pruse, director of geospatial technologies at Pattern Energy. \u201cWe also have various applications that tracked our land acquisition progress and visualized specific constraints on individual parcels.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Mapping Out Sites and Paths<\/h2>\r\nThe SunZia Wind and Transmission project began over a decade ago with the mapping of land parcels. The real estate team recorded details about ownership, land use, water rights, utilities, geology, and more. Surveyors added precise locations.\r\n\r\nTo find the best wind pad sites and transmission path, the land was analyzed for terrain, protected habitat, fragile environments, and proximity to homes. Mapping the cultural heritage sites of Indigenous tribes was also of paramount importance. Maps to Megawatts enabled planners to consider all these factors, as well as calculate costs to find optimal sites and corridors.\r\n\r\nWhile the wind project stretches across counties, and the transmission corridor spans two states, the area under analysis was much larger.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you kick off a project, you think you have a ton of available land, but then you start overlaying all of your constraints,\u201d Pruse said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little eye-opening to go from a giant slice of the state down to what you can actually use.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":749912,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The project\u2019s success depends heavily on cooperation and coordination with government agencies, Tribal Nations, and private landowners. Detailed maps guided conversations and deliberations before Pattern Energy could obtain the necessary permits to proceed.\r\n\r\nTo achieve route approval, dashboards in Maps to Megawatts were used to help create\u00a0environmental impact statements\u00a0required by the National Environmental Policy Act.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur environmental teams worked closely with BLM to make sure that we have all of the information that we need in order to analyze those areas and make sure that we\u2019re not encroaching on anything we shouldn\u2019t,\u201d Pruse said.\r\n\r\nBecause the line goes through a national wildlife refuge, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is also a stakeholder.\r\n\r\n\u201cHaving all of these different types of landowners isn\u2019t typical,\u201d Janssen said. \u201cGIS helps us identify the specific needs of each landowner and have a common approach that crews in the field can navigate and understand.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Guided Construction<\/h2>\r\nAfter the site locations were solidified, the design and permitting teams worked to match their plans with the constraints at each site. Engineers improved designs for both the wind and transmission towers. They recorded details for each tower\u2019s unique foundation and made plans for earthmoving to allow stormwater drainage or establish access roads."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":749922,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The Maps to Megawatts solution captured details of all the 2,100 transmission tower structures along the line, each with a custom design. The transmission line project will employ more than 1,000 construction workers across three teams deployed to different sections of the route.\r\n\r\nNow that the project has reached the construction phase, work crews have embraced GIS-powered apps to navigate and document the work. Each tower has specific access requirements. For instance, some can only be reached\r\nby helicopter.\r\n\r\n\u201cBeing able to visualize work areas, and look at access routes and constraints, allows us to be more efficient,\u201d Janssen said. \u201cIt beats getting everyone in a truck to drive out to do a review, and then looking at pages and pages of drawings to sort it all out.\u201d\r\n\r\nMore than 50 inspectors review construction to ensure that all parts of the project align with environmental and operational standards. Drones and on-the-ground observations from crews capture every move to manage risks and ensure careful environmental compliance.\r\n\r\n\u201cGIS influences what everyone is doing in the field,\u201d Janssen said. \u201cAbout a tenth of the crew are using a tablet, phone, or laptop to make observations, take photos, create production reports, or look up data. When someone finds something that\u2019s helpful for them, they can share that with the rest of the group.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Navigating Barriers to Construction Progress<\/h2>\r\nWith millions of dollars spent on construction each day, the cost of delays compounds quickly. Whenever something stands in the way, drones and the data in the GIS solution help the team plan around it.\r\n\r\nDrone imagery, captured and processed using\u00a0Site Scan for ArcGIS, helps the crews see whether fences and roads are in good condition or in need of repairs. The crews use this imagery to evaluate changing conditions, such as the effects of monsoon rains. It also helps track movements of material, including calculating the amount of earth moved to flatten the terrain."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":749932,"image_position":"left","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Some tower sites are still under review, causing concern about construction delays. \u201cGIS has allowed us to analyze those areas and come up with workarounds and resequencing to keep our crews engaged and not just sitting at a locked gate waiting for someone to open it,\u201d Janssen said.\r\n\r\nDrone imagery also enables real-time collaboration between the field and the office, especially when potential delays arise. One BLM permit requirement, for instance, called for the relocation of all cactus and endangered plants, and drone imagery eased the effort.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf we\u2019ve got a problem that comes up, we can all look at the drone data to talk about it intelligently,\u201d Janssen said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got people on the ground tagging and identifying saguaro and other cacti, then crews go pick them up and move them out of our right-of-way. By looking at the imagery before and after, we can see which cacti make it through the move and which might need some help.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Creating a System of Record to Guide Operations<\/h2>\r\nThe careful collection of construction data and an accurate record of what was on the land before construction started will also support the ownership and operation of SunZia.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve taken a photo of every single crack that looked like it was susceptible to any kind of damage during construction,\u201d Janssen said. \u201cThat crack may come back to be a big deal 10 years down the road.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":749942,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"GIS records of project construction will be useful for at least the next 20 years. These records will guide the operations team in its upkeep of wind turbines and transmission lines and stations when the project is officially handed off to that team.\r\n\r\n\u201cHaving the common GIS platform makes that job so much easier for us,\u201d said Janssen. \u201cWe have the data already assembled, and the construction observations packaged up. This helps the operations team digest it and get up to speed on the project.\u201d\r\n\r\nWell before construction started, Pattern Energy\u2019s SunZia project\u00a0was praised\u00a0for its many potential benefits. These included creating good-paying jobs, lowering energy costs, stopping power outages in the face of extreme weather, and accelerating the transition to clean energy. However, it took 15 years for the utility-scale energy project to finalize all the necessary approvals.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat gets the most attention in the industry seems to be the length of time it\u2019s taken to bring this to market,\u201d Janssen said."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":749952,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The many agencies involved in the project in different jurisdictions had a lot to do with the long delay. But other clean energy projects have also faced long development timelines, leading to calls for bipartisan legislation to reform the permit process.\r\n\r\nFrom Pattern Energy\u2019s perspective, the documentation of end-to-end workflows could speed future permitting and construction. If regulators embraced technology and used GIS-powered digital twins for approvals and oversight, inspections could happen remotely with online approvals. This level of modernization would be in-line with a growing local government trend to electronically process permits and enforce requirements via online tools.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are hoping some of the lessons we\u2019ve learned during permitting and construction\u2014collaborating with GIS\u2014can help us streamline the environmental review process so we can be more efficient,\u201d Janssen said."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nLocation Intelligence Guides Renewable Energy Construction | Spring 2025 | ArcUser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Drones and enterprise mapping have allowed Pattern Energy to track every step of the largest wind energy project in the Western Hemisphere.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/location-intelligence-guides-renewable-energy-construction\" \/>\n<meta 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