A wind turbine in the foreground with a jet flying high above.

Time is Precious: How to Shorten FAA Review Times for Wind Turbines

Introduction In prior posts, I’ve focused mostly on the outcome of FAA obstruction evaluation studies: for example, what factors drive FAA determinations and how to improve your odds of receiving a favorable determination for your wind projects. But, the outcome of an obstruction evaluation study is only half of the story. The uncertainty in FAA …

Map of Wyoming showing airspace constraints

No Fly Zone: A Practical Guide for Wind Site Prospecting

In case you missed it, my last post explained the criteria the FAA uses to evaluate wind turbines. There’s useful content throughout, but the main insight is this: “If you want to lower your chances of having to modify or cancel your project, try to site it away from areas where it will trigger [FAA] …

Wind turbine in the mist

FAA Obstruction Evaluation: What Makes a Wind Turbine a “Hazard”?

In my last post, I mentioned that the FAA looks at many factors during obstruction evaluation studies. In fact, if you go down the rabbit hole to try to figure out everything that goes into one of these studies, it can get very complicated, very quickly. Fortunately, you don’t need to go down that rabbit …

Siting Wind Turbines Near Airports: Why Setbacks Don’t Cut it

Recently, I was catching up with a friend who also works in the renewable energy/geospatial world. I was describing RootGeo’s airspace datasets and how they are meant to help wind developers, when my friend asked: “That all sounds very cool, but why are they any better than using a buffer around airports?” This a great …