The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Division of Vitality’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley Nationwide Laboratory (LBNL) launched the biggest and most complete database to this point on large-scale photo voltaic vitality tasks in america. The U.S. Massive-Scale Photo voltaic Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB) consists of the situation, measurement and different traits of large-scale photo voltaic tasks. This new public useful resource will allow researchers to look at developments in large-scale photo voltaic improvement in addition to inform siting and planning for future deployment contributing to the Biden-Harris Administration targets to decarbonize the electrical energy sector by 2035.
“Practically 4,000 photo voltaic methods are mapped on this database, offering an important new asset for researchers, vitality planners, authorities and the photo voltaic business,” mentioned Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Vitality Effectivity and Renewable Vitality. “The abundance of detailed info on this database will assist us enhance the accountable siting of large-scale photo voltaic vitality tasks throughout the nation to profit communities and meet our local weather targets.”
The USPVDB is a complete dataset of U.S. large-scale photo voltaic PV vitality challenge areas and traits that makes the info simpler to entry and extra correct than present datasets. Since 2020, DOE’s Vitality Data Company has hosted an interactive database with coordinates of the central level of large-scale photo voltaic amenities. The USPVDB augments this info by offering information on the whole footprint space and detailed attributes of every facility, together with panel know-how sort, axis sort, yr of set up and technology capability. The dataset consists of ground-mounted photo voltaic amenities constructed via the top of 2021 with capacities larger than 1 MWDC. It consists of greater than 3,900 large-scale photo voltaic ground-mounted amenities in 47 states and Washington, D.C.
The USPVDB incorporates attributes from the Environmental Safety Company’s RE-Powering information that present descriptions of facility web site sorts, together with whether or not it’s a greenfield, or has earlier, present, or suspected contamination. It additionally identifies agrivoltaic websites, which find agriculture beneath or between photo voltaic panels, with information from the Nationwide Renewable Vitality Laboratory’s Modern Photo voltaic Practices Built-in with Rural Economies and Ecosystems (InSPIRE) agrivoltaics program.
Researchers, decision-makers and different stakeholders can use the info to investigate the function of photo voltaic vitality in decarbonizing the U.S. electrical grid, enhance research on the interactions between PV amenities and the pure surroundings, plan investments in PV infrastructure and extra. The dataset, which shall be up to date yearly, shall be downloadable in a number of codecs and accessible through a web-based map viewer.
This work builds on experience developed via the creation and upkeep of the DOE-supported U.S. Wind Turbine Database, which accommodates areas and technical specs for greater than 72,000 wind generators.
This work is funded by the DOE Photo voltaic Vitality Applied sciences Workplace (SETO) and the USGS Vitality Assets Program.
Information merchandise from DOE
