Deploying renewable energy infrastructure at former oil and gas extraction sites: potential and sustainability implications

Abstract

The demand for energy in the United States is ever-increasing and energy production in all forms requires changes to land use. This case study asks: Is it possible to utilize disturbed areas from oil and gas development for renewable energy production? It considers federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southeastern New Mexico. It determines the availability of sites and the solar power generating capacity at former oil and gas sites based on quantitative analysis of spatial data. It sheds light on the feasibility of a transition from oil and gas to renewable power under existing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) provisions applicable to the study area based on a literature review and interviews with BLM employees. Finally, it presents a rough estimate of the solar energy potential from former oil and gas sites based on the geospatial analysis and parameters as discussed in the literature.