RENEW Wisconsin, through the wonders of intern-ology, has just unveiled two new Google Maps showing the location and type of every, or at least *nearly* every, renewable power installation in the state (disclosure: RENEW Wisconsin is a member of RE-AMP, which also supports Midwest Energy News).

There is a statewide map, showing all the biomass, wind, solar and biogas projects statewide, and another map that ranks installations by county.

Interestingly, the majority of those power sources are solar, and not surprisingly, there seems to be a direct correlation between solar power systems and population density. That illustrates one of the advantages of solar panels – they can be placed closer to the people using the energy, as opposed to wind turbines, which are most effective in remote areas.

While the dataset is exhaustively researched, it’s not necessarily 100% complete, so if you spot something that’s missing, let them know.

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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