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Renewable Energy PotentialTo begin utilizing renewable energy to power either part or all of your energy needs it is vital to assess the type of renewable energy that is most viable in your area. Below are a few sites that will help you with this assessment. State Renewable Energy Information — a link to the State Energy Alternatives Web site for state-by-state maps of renewable energy potential. Solar Energy — Includes concentrating solar (MS Word 866 KB), solar thermal (MS Word 874 KB), and photovoltaic (MS Word 878 KB). Visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory solar resource maps to view your solar resource. Wind Energy — Includes both small wind and utility scale wind. The National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has a wind resource database with information that will help you determine if you live in an area suitable for wind energy. For information on siting and permitting issues, you can download this Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities: A Handbook, August 2002. (PDF 1.93 MB) Download Acrobat Reader. Biomass — Biomass includes biofuels, ethanol, (MS Word 880 KB) and biodiesel (MS Word 873 KB) and biopower. Geothermal — Includes heat pumps, direct use, and electricity production (MS Word 874 KB). For information on geothermal resources visit the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Geopowering the West Web site. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has the following publications: The following consumer guides are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader.
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