October

Ideal Locations for Large-Scale Wind Turbines

Organization
GEM Mapping & Design

Author
Linda Decker

ESRI Software
ArcInfo 8.3, ArcView 8.3, 3D Analyst

Data Sources
Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, Ministry of Forests, BC Hydro, CanWEA, AWEA, Vision Quest Wind Electric, JL Company

Description
The purpose of this study project was to determine the most ideal locations for establishing wind turbines in the Salmon Arm Forest District primarily in areas where there are fairly steady wind patterns with the least impact on the environment and neighbouring communities. Establishing the locations was based on the following criteria: close to transmission lines and existing roads, in areas of moderate elevation, away from wetlands, and away from mature tree stands. A 5-meter resolution coloured ortho-photo was surface draped over the DTM model of a 1:20,000 TRIM mapsheet to show a close up of an ideal location and a 15-meter resolution coloured satellite image was used for the entire district. AML were written to create the TIN grid, "relates" for the tree heights database information and to create the buffers and union coverages for the entire district which covered approximately 65 mapsheets.

Acknowledgements
Mitch Krupp, ArcInfo GIS Program Instructor, Okanagan University College