Counties are blocking wind and solar across the US — maps show energy capacity in your area

A nationwide analysis by USA TODAY revealed a trend that threatens to derail U.S. clean energy goals: local governments are banning new utility-scale wind and solar power faster than they’re building it.

In areas where the wind blows faster and more consistently, turbines can make more electricity. Hover and zoom around the country in the maps below to explore potential for wind and solar energy generation. Energy potential isn't mapped in some areas (gray) that are already off-limits for federal, ecological, military or other uses. In addition to other restricted areas, these maps exclude areas that are too mountainous for solar.

Local governments have blocked new wind and solar projects through bans, moratoriums, construction limits and other policies that make new plants difficult to build. In 2009, North Carolina banned 23 counties from new wind projects. In 2014, Kentucky made it effectively impossible to build new turbines in all 120 of its counties, and Connecticut followed suit in its eight counties. Vermont did the same across its 14 counties in 2017. Tennessee stopped new wind projects in all but four of its 95 counties a year later.

As with wind, some areas are more ideal than others for solar energy generation. Counties also restrict solar, in some cases to such a small area that it’s unfeasible to build. More than half of these blocks occurred in counties that already have some operational solar capacity.

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