1  

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. 

 

2  

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

3  

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 

4  

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

5  

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 

6  

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

7  

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)

8  

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.

9  

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

10  

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.