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RENEWABLE ENERGY
TRANSFORMING THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE IN AN ERA OF CLIMATE CHANGE: MON‐CO8
PresentationbyJohnMcCarty,BureauofLandManagement|JamesPalmer,ScenicQuality
Consultants|RobertSullivan,ArgonneNationalLaboratory Atthe50yearanniversaryofPresidentJohnson’sWhiteHouseConferenceonNaturalBeauty,climatechangeisdrivingthenextmajortransformationofAmerica’sopenspaces:thetransitiontotheRenewableEnergyLandscape.Thissessionexploreshowbesttobalancerenewableenergy’smanyenvironmentalbenefitswithitsconsiderablescenicimpacts.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Learnwhat’sdrivingrenewableenergydevelopment:balancingbetweenenergydemand,climatechange,aesthetic/environmentaltradeoffs
Learnaboutaddressingtheaesthetic/environmentaltradeoffsthroughbuildingalandscapeconservationandenergyindustrypartnership,andtherolelandscapearchitectscanplayinthispartnership.
Obtainnewinformationabouttheuniquevisualpropertiesthatmakerenewableenergyfacilities“superimpactors.”
Learnwhycumulativevisualimpactsareaspecialproblemforrenewableenergyandtransmission.
Learnaboutonsiteandregionalmitigationstrategiesthatfacilitateinvestmentintokeyconservationpriorities.
Learnnewwaysforlandscapearchitectstojointhegrowingpartnershipinlargelandscape‐scaleconservation.
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INTRODUCTION Climate Change, Renewable Energy, & Environmental Tradeoffs
Main drivers for growth of renewable energy
Climatechange Increasingenergydemand
RE’s environmental and health benefits
Nocarbondioxide Nofuelextractionorconsumption
costs/impacts Minimalpollution Relativelyeasyonthelandandonwildlife
Political and economic drivers
HugepopularsupportforREdevelopmentworldwide PoliticalmandatesforREdevelopment Governmentsubsidies FallingREprices Updatingtransmissiongrid
World Energy Consumption
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Continued RE and transmission growth is inevitable
Lowoilandgaspricescanslowrenewableenergygrowth,butpricesalwaysgobackup
Increasingenergydemandisinevitable Gridexpansion/upgradeisinevitable Climatechangeimpactswillincrease Asstorageimprovesbase‐loadenergy
generationwillshifttoRE
Biggest resource loser is scenic resources
LargelandrequirementsforREfacilitiesconsumeshugeamountsofland
Largecumulativevisualimpacts Nomeaningfullegalprotection Pooradvocacy,poorlyrepresentedindecision‐
making Valuesandimpactsdifficulttoquantifymonetarily Impactsacceptedasunavoidable Lackofunderstandingofimpactsandimpact
assessment Veryfewtrainedprofessionals
“SUPER IMPACTORS” Renewable Energy and Transmission Facilities
Projects cover large areas
Onshorewindfacilitiescanbeupto1,000turbinesonmorethan200,000acres
Solarfacilitiesuptoseveralthousandacres Transmissionlineshundredsofmileslong
Photo: US News & World Report
Potentially Affected view‐shed
Solar Energy
Zone
Riverside East Solar Energy Zone, CA
Rhode Island
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Structures can be very tall, and visually distinctive
Offshorewindturbinesmorethan700fttall Powertowersupto800fttall Highlyrectilinear,man‐madeappearance Movingblades,changingcolors Lightingatnight
Surfaces are often high reflective
Windturbineswhite Solarfacilitiescancauseintenseglare
Visible for very long distances
Windturbinesvisiblebeyond40milesinwesternlandscapes,strongcontrastsbeyond15mi
Solarpowertowerseasilyvisibleat35mi,strongcontrastbeyond20mi
Offshorewindturbinesvisiblebeyond25mi,strongcontrastsbeyond10mi
Visibleatsamedistancesatnight
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Often sited in open landscapes
Windonplainsandridges Solarinwideflatvalleys Transmissioninboth Off‐shorewindisvisiblefarbeyondthe
horizon
THE RENEWABLE ENERGY LANDSCAPE
Large project and structure size, long distance visibility, and open landscape settings make RE and transmission important sources of cumulative impacts
Inter‐visibilityofprojects Sequentialviews Environmentalassessmentstypically
emphasizeimpactoftheproposedproject;cumulativeimpactassessmentstypicallyweak,visualimpactassessmentsoftencursory
Alsooilandgasdevelopment(fracking),celltowers,biofuelplants
Photo by ffennema via iStock
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Quickly transforming large parts of the Midwest and West into “renewable energy landscapes”
Affectingworld‐classresources(NationalParks) Affectingeverydaylandscapes(I‐57,I‐88,andI‐65
corridorsinIllinoisandIndiana)
The “empty places” that help define the American visual experience are disappearing
Sceniccharacterwillchangefrompastoral/agriculturaltoindustrial
Perceptionsoflandscapevaluesandfunctionswillchange
“Senseofplace”maybelostorchanged
Opposition to individual projects sometimes fierce, but often poorly organized and funded
Majorenvironmentalorganizationsfocusedonwildlifeandotherecologicalimpacts Oppositiontoindividualprojectslargelyfromsmallgroupsofaffectedindividualswho
areoftenmarginalizedas“NIMBYs” Fewlookingatthebiggerpictureofcumulativevisualimpacts Fewadvocatingforscenicresourcesasawhole Resultistradingoffourscenicresourcesforthebenefitsofrenewableandotherforms
ofenergy
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RENEWABLE ENERGY SITING and MITIGATION
Siting renewable energy facilities and transmission
Whataretherightplaces? Whatarethewrongplaces?
Onsite mitigation
Intelligentfacilitydesignandmaterialschoices Atbest,achieveminorreductionsinimpact
Regional offsite mitigation
Identifynatureandextentofimpacts Assessthecurrentlandscapecondition
andtrendtowarddecline,stability,orenhancement
Determinewarrantforoffsitemitigation
Identifyoffsitemitigationopportunitiesandmethods
Usestakeholderinputtohelpdeterminemitigationactions
Photo: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us Critical habitat (core sage grouse habitat)
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New developments and Opportunities for Landscape Architects
SecretarialOrder3330:Regionalapproachtolandscapeconservation
FederalAgencyWorkingGroupdevelopingregionalmitigationguidelinesforoffsitemitigationforscenicresourceimpacts.
REFERENCES & RECOMMENDED READING Hernandez,RebeccaR.M.,K.Hoacker,andC.B.Field.2014.Efficientuseoflandtomeetsustainableenergyneeds.NatureClimateChange.DOI:10.1038/NCLIMATE2556
McCarty,J.H.,R.G.SullivanandH.M.Hartmann.2014.Whereandhowvisualresourcesfitintotheregionalmitigationofonsitenaturalresourceimpacts. 39thAnnualConference,April8‐10,2014,St.Petersburg,Fl.
Publicover,D.,A.K.D.K.andC.J.Poppenwimer.2011.RidgelineWindpowerDevelopmentinMaine:AnAnalysisofPotentialNaturalResourceConflicts.Gorham,NH:AppalachianMountainClub.
Sheppard,StephenR.J.VisualizingClimateChange:AGuidetoVisualCommunicationofClimateChangeandDevelopingLocalSolutions.NewYork:Routledge,2012.
Sullivan,R.G.,andAbplanalp,J.M.(2013).Utility‐ScaleSolarEnergyFacilityVisualImpactCharacterizationandMitigation:ProjectFinalReport.ArgonneNationalLaboratory,Argonne,Ill.
Sullivan,R.G.,andAbplanalp,J.M.(2015).VisibilityandVisualCharacteristicsoftheIvanpahSolarElectricGeneratingSystemPowerTowerFacility:ProjectFinalReport.Argonne,IL:ArgonneNationalLaboratory.
Sullivan,R.G.,Kirchler,L.B.,Cothren,J.,&Winters,S.L.(2013).Offshorewindturbinevisibilityandvisualimpactthresholddistances.EnvironmentPractice,15(1),33–49.
Sullivan,R.G.,Kirchler,L.B.,McCoy,C.,McCarty,J.,Beckman,K.,&Richmond,P.D.(2012).VisualImpactsofUtility‐scaleSolarEnergyFacilitiesonSouthwesternDesertLandscapes.Paperpresentedatthe,NationalAssociationofEnvironmentalProfessionals,37thAnnualConference,Portland,OR.
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Sullivan,RobertG.,J.M.Abplanalp,S.Lahti,S.,K.J.Beckman,B.L.Cantwell,andP.Richmond.ElectricalTransmissionVisibilityandVisualContrastThresholdDistancesinWesternLandscapes.Argonne,IL:ArgonneNationalLaboratory,2014.
Sullivan,R.,L.Kirchler,S.Roché,K.Beckman,andP.Richmond,2012,WindTurbineVisibilityandVisualImpactThresholdDistancesinWesternLandscapes.Proceedings,NationalAssociationofEnvironmentalProfessionals,37thAnnualConference,May21‐24,2012,Portland,OR.
USDepartmentofEnergy.2015.WindVision:ANewEraforWindPowerintheUnitedStates.
USDepartmentoftheInterior.2013.BestManagementPracticesforReducingVisualImpactsofRenewableEnergyFacilitiesonBLM‐AdministeredLands.BureauofLandManagement.Cheyenne,Wyoming
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PRESENTER BIOS
JohnMcCarty,ASLA,BureauofLandManagement
JohnMcCarty,BureauofLandManagement(BLM)ChiefLandscapeArchitectoverseesnationalvisualresourcemanagementpolicydevelopment,implementation,research,training,andfieldoutreach.HisworkrequirescoordinationacrossallBLMprogramsincludingthenationalrenewableenergyofficeandelectrictransmissionfacilitiesteam.OtherresponsibilitiesincludeBLM’sBackcountryBywaysprogram,landuseplanning,andenvironmentaldesign/builtenvironmentguidance.HejoinedtheBLMin2007fromtheprivatesectorwhereheconsultedboththeBLMandenergyindustryonvisualdesignstrategiesandmitigationplanning.John’s33yearcareerhascenteredonintegratingthebuiltenvironmentwithnaturalsettingsthroughseamlesstransitions.
JamesPalmer,FASLA,ScenicQualityConsultants
Dr.JamesPalmerhashadadistinguishedprofessionalcareerinlandscapearchitecturespanning40years,focusingontheassessmentoflandscapecharacterandaestheticquality.Jimisamongahandfulofresearchlandscapearchitectswhoseexpertisehasledthewayininformingourscientificunderstandingofvisualimpacts,communitylandscapevalues,andotherlandscapeaestheticsissues.JimistheprincipalatScenicQualityConsultantsandProfessorEmeritusatSUNYESF.HeservesasMaine’sscenicexpertevaluatingvisualimpactassessmentsthathavebeencompletedforwindenergyprojectsfortheDepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection(DEP).
RobertSullivan,ArgonneNationalLaboratory
RobertSullivanisanEnvironmentalScientistintheEnvironmentalScienceDivisionofArgonneNationalLaboratory,whereheconductsresearchonthescenicimpactsofutility‐scaleenergyfacilitiesandconductsenvironmentalimpactassessmentsforfederalenergyprogramsandprojects,includingsolar,onshoreandoffshorewind,energytransmission,andhydropowerprograms.Currentprojectsincludedevelopmentofmethodologiesforgeospatialanalysisofenvironmentalimpactsofwindenergydevelopment,developmentofascenicresourceinventorysystemfortheNationalParkService,applicationofregionaloffsitemitigationforvisualimpactsofsolarenergydevelopment,andmodelinghumandimensionsoflandscapemanagementandlanduseplanning.