Description
This dataset represents solar energy setback requirements from structures based on county ordinances as of April 2022. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from a structure that an energy project may be developed, and these varied widely across the counties in which they existed. Two versions are provided: one reflecting only the county ordinances and another incorporating extrapolated trends. In the extrapolated version, a default setback of 61 meters was applied in counties without specific structure setback regulations. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided for both versions, showing areas where solar energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States.
For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.
Resources
| Name | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Structure Setbacks Ordinance Map.png | PNG | Cartographic map of structure setbacks existing for solar technology, based only on county ordinances as of April 2022. | Open resource |
| Solar Structure Setbacks Ordinance Data.tif | TIFF | Map of structure setbacks existing for solar technology in TIF format, based only on county ordinances as of April 2022. A value of 0 indicates that solar energy is prohibited, while 1 indicates that solar energy is permitted. Due to size, a GIS software is likely needed to open this file. | Open resource |
| Solar Structure Setbacks Extrapolated Data.tif | TIFF | Map of structure setback existing for solar technology in TIF format. This is the extrapolated version where a default setback of 61 meters is applied in counties without specific structure setback regulations. A value of 0 indicates that solar energy is prohibited, while 1 indicates that solar energy is permitted. Due to size, a GIS software is likely needed to open this file. | Open resource |
| Solar Structure Setbacks Extrapolated Map.png | PNG | Cartographic map of structure setback for solar technology. This is the extrapolated version where a default setback of 61 meters is applied in counties without specific structure setback regulations. | Open resource |
| Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States | In this, the 2023 edition of this report, we present new estimates of the technical potential for land-based wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) for the contiguous United States (CONUS). We also provide cost estimates for the available resources, presenting representative supply curves that can be used in downstream modeling and analysis. Additionally, we introduce new methodologies used to estimate wind capacity, wind energy losses, transmission cost and representation, updated technology cost and design, and scenarios of siting constraints designed to help bound the uncertainty of renewable potential. | Open resource |