The U.S. Wind Turbine Database
A publicly available, spatially referenced, national dataset of wind turbine locations and facility information for over 58,000 wind turbines
The USWTDB Viewer
Visualize, interact, and download the U.S. National Turbine Database
The United States Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) provides the locations of land-based and offshore wind turbines in the United States, corresponding wind project information, and turbine technical specifications. The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The database is being continuously updated through collaboration among LBNL, USGS, and AWEA. Wind turbine records are collected and compiled from various public and private sources, digitized or position-verified from aerial imagery, and quality checked. Technical specifications for turbines are obtained directly from project developers and turbine manufacturers, or they are based on data obtained from public sources.
About the Database
In 2016, USGS, LBNL, and AWEA began collaborating on development of the USWTDB. Their goal was to create a joint product that would be more comprehensive and accurate than their individual wind turbine data sets. Federal agencies began using these combined data in April 2017, and in April 2018 the data were released to the public via this portal.
These data are used by government agencies, scientists, private companies, and citizens for a variety of analyses. Examples include operational impact assessments of turbines on air defense radar, weather and general aviation, analyses related to the role of wind energy in the U.S. electric grid, interactions between wind energy facilities and wildlife, and investments in wind energy infrastructure.
“This database and map are not only a fantastic and much-needed tool that will see much use, but also proof of the power of bringing together the expertise in both government and industry. The data will help improve the siting of future wind energy projects as well as aid land managers in devising more up-to-date land-use and multiple-use plans.” - Tim Petty, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of the Interior.
The data were created by combining publicly available data sets from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), USGS WindFarm data from a prior effort, online sources, and data privately held by AWEA and LBNL. The locations of all turbines were visually verified to within 10 meters using high-resolution imagery. Technical specifications of the turbines are based on the make and model and other information collected.
USWTDB Viewer
The USWTDB Viewer, created by the USGS Energy Resources Program, lets you visualize, inspect, interact, and download the most current USWTDB through a dynamic web application. The USWTDB Viewer replaces an earlier web application called WindFarm and includes many enhancements made based on comments and suggestions from WindFarm users. Data-driven styling and expanded filtering capabilities make accessing the USWTDB information easier and quicker than ever. Get started with our quick start video. Your feedback continues to be important to us so don't hesitate to let us know what you'd like to see in future releases.
Our Partners
The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The database is continuously updated through collaboration among LBNL, USGS, and AWEA. With the release of this public version, we hope researchers and other interested parties around the world will use the data to further their efforts. If you have feedback or want to let us know how you are using the data, send us a note.
Below are FAQ associated with this project.
How are bats affected by wind turbines?
Dead bats are found beneath wind turbines all over the world. It’s estimated that tens to hundreds of thousands die at wind turbines each year in North America alone. Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear why this is happening. It’s possible that wind turbines interfere with seasonal migration and mating patterns in some species of bats. More than three quarters of the bat fatalities at wind turbines...
The United States Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) provides the locations of land-based and offshore wind turbines in the United States, corresponding wind project information, and turbine technical specifications. The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The database is being continuously updated through collaboration among LBNL, USGS, and AWEA. Wind turbine records are collected and compiled from various public and private sources, digitized or position-verified from aerial imagery, and quality checked. Technical specifications for turbines are obtained directly from project developers and turbine manufacturers, or they are based on data obtained from public sources.
About the Database
In 2016, USGS, LBNL, and AWEA began collaborating on development of the USWTDB. Their goal was to create a joint product that would be more comprehensive and accurate than their individual wind turbine data sets. Federal agencies began using these combined data in April 2017, and in April 2018 the data were released to the public via this portal.
These data are used by government agencies, scientists, private companies, and citizens for a variety of analyses. Examples include operational impact assessments of turbines on air defense radar, weather and general aviation, analyses related to the role of wind energy in the U.S. electric grid, interactions between wind energy facilities and wildlife, and investments in wind energy infrastructure.
“This database and map are not only a fantastic and much-needed tool that will see much use, but also proof of the power of bringing together the expertise in both government and industry. The data will help improve the siting of future wind energy projects as well as aid land managers in devising more up-to-date land-use and multiple-use plans.” - Tim Petty, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of the Interior.
The data were created by combining publicly available data sets from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), USGS WindFarm data from a prior effort, online sources, and data privately held by AWEA and LBNL. The locations of all turbines were visually verified to within 10 meters using high-resolution imagery. Technical specifications of the turbines are based on the make and model and other information collected.
USWTDB Viewer
The USWTDB Viewer, created by the USGS Energy Resources Program, lets you visualize, inspect, interact, and download the most current USWTDB through a dynamic web application. The USWTDB Viewer replaces an earlier web application called WindFarm and includes many enhancements made based on comments and suggestions from WindFarm users. Data-driven styling and expanded filtering capabilities make accessing the USWTDB information easier and quicker than ever. Get started with our quick start video. Your feedback continues to be important to us so don't hesitate to let us know what you'd like to see in future releases.
Our Partners
The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The database is continuously updated through collaboration among LBNL, USGS, and AWEA. With the release of this public version, we hope researchers and other interested parties around the world will use the data to further their efforts. If you have feedback or want to let us know how you are using the data, send us a note.
Below are FAQ associated with this project.
How are bats affected by wind turbines?
Dead bats are found beneath wind turbines all over the world. It’s estimated that tens to hundreds of thousands die at wind turbines each year in North America alone. Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear why this is happening. It’s possible that wind turbines interfere with seasonal migration and mating patterns in some species of bats. More than three quarters of the bat fatalities at wind turbines...