THE PROBLEM: U.S. wind development interacts with a number of other land and airspace uses, which include radar for air defense, weather, and general aviation, as well as aspects in hosting communities such as property values, local jobs and income, and resident use and enjoyment of property and home. Many of the fundamental decisions related to wind energy cannot be made without information on how many, where, and what type of wind turbines are currently installed. 

THE SOLUTION: The U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) provides essential information to researchers and decision-makers in a free, open-source manner. The USWTDB is updated quarterly with information from the Federal Aviation Administration about flight obstacle data, the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) private wind turbine database, satellite imagery, and online searches, making it the most comprehensive, accurate, and regularly updated wind energy database in the world. With this information, the USWTDB allows verification of exact locations and specifications of turbines. Since 2016, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the ACP have collaborated to develop, update, and disseminate the database. 

THE TECH TRANSFER MECHANISM: The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between USGS, LBNL, and ACP has been operational since 2016 and led by team members who developed two of the first publicly available turbine databases a decade ago. Team members interact regularly and make collective decisions on all aspects of the USWTDB via a group email. The USWTDB implements three primary strategies for tech transfer: the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) Principles, a user-friendly web application, and connection to other data sources. 

THE IMPACT: The USWTDB is the most current, accurate, and publicly available renewable energy dataset in the world. With 74,511 turbines currently in the database — and 99% of those having a visually verified location — the technology is critical to making decisions about wind energy and generating economic growth in the United States. The USWTDB has been updated 24 times and remains a popular tool for users (with about 17.5 million unique website visits since 2018). The data produced by USWTDB and the research it enables lead to new markets and jobs in the renewable energy sector and help make the resource more affordable. 

The USWTDB is a crucial tool with numerous users in several different sectors. For instance, regional grid operators use the technology to determine turbine locations within their jurisdictions and then use weather forecasts to predict the turbines’ electricity generation. The USWTDB supports work at the Department of Defense, North American Aerospace Defense Command, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and for global academics studying everything from economics to wildlife to sociology.