May 17, 2023
In order for the United States to hit its Net Zero Emissions Goal by 2050, it's estimated that 3,100 gigawatts of wind and 3,500 gigawatts of solar capacity will be need across America. If clean energy developers continue to site and build as they are doing now, the land required to host all of that solar and wind generation will be larger than the state of Texas! In addition to the massive amount of land required for these critical clean energy resources, we also need new transmission lines that bring the electricity generated back to the communities and homes that can actually use it. All of this development can be harmful to the nearby lands, waters, and ecosystems if careful planning isn't undertaken. That's why The Nature Conservancy released their latest report "Power of Place: National".
This week, we spoke with Jessica Wilkinson, North American Renewable Energy Team Lead at The Nature Conservancy, and Nels Johnson, Senior Advisor for Renewable Energy for the Nature Conservancy, to talk about this report and explain the strategies and technologies necessary to reduce the impacts of America's clean energy transition by as much as 70%.
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