ind energy is nothing new. The Egyptians and
Chinese used it for sailboats thousands of years ago.
By the seventh century, the Persians milled grain and
pumped water with it.
More recently, the Dutch used their now iconic windmills
to drain lowland areas. Even the Great Plains of the United
States were dotted with windmills a hundred years ago.
Today it would be a stretch to think of wind as a major
source of energy. But that could be changing.
Economic, environmental, and geopolitical factors are
converging to make interest soar in this renewable,
non-carbon-dioxide-producing source. The American Wind
Energy Association has held that “long-term, consistent
policy support” at the federal level “would help unleash the
industry's pent-up (wind) potential.”
In 2008 the U.S. Department of Energy set a goal for
wind energy to meet 20% of the country’s total electricity
needs by 2030. Examples of support include upholding tax
credits for wind-generated electricity and providing stimulus
funding to the renewable energy sector – the amount
surpassed the $1 billion mark in September 2009.
But before state-of-the-art wind turbines appear on a
horizon, the area they stand on must be transformed into a
farm, one designed to fuel rather than feed. And before that
can happen, wind developers and utilities have a range of
land information and engineering needs to be met.
W
Confirming land arights
Renewable energy company RES Americas doesn’t
want surprises as it moves forward with leasing agreements
for the 250-megawatt Cedar Point Wind Farm in eastern
Colorado. Ayres Associates has provided more than 75 ALTA
surveys for 80 sections of land leased by RES, as well as
for 44 miles of associated 230-kilovolt transmission line.
An ALTA survey meets standards set by the American
Land Title Association (ALTA) and American Congress on
Surveying and Mapping. More specifically, as RES project
developer Chad Horton put it, “an ALTA survey guarantees
we have our planned infrastructure – turbines, roads,
transmission lines, and substations – located on properties
where we have the rights to do so.”
That seems straightforward enough – but developing
any large infrastructure, especially a wind farm covering
dozens of square miles, is anything but straightforward.
Numerous stakeholders are potentially involved, first and
foremost the landowners.
Similar to many locations ripe for wind power
development, the project area in eastern Colorado covers
rolling, remote terrain where landowners have historically
had little need for property survey. An ALTA survey
“ground-truths” the location of the leased premises, ensuring
that RES has actually leased the property in question and
that the boundaries are legally where the company believes
them to be.
TRENDS
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