Alternative Energy Resources in Alabama
Below is a short summary of alternative energy resources for Alabama. For more information on each technology, visit the State Energy Alternatives Technology Options page.
For more information, including links to resource maps, energy statistics, and contacts for Alabama, visit EERE's State Activities and Partnerships Web site's Alabama page.
Biomass
Studies indicate that Alabama has excellent biomass resource potential. For more state-specific resource information, see Biomass Feedstock Availability in the United States: 1999 State Level Analysis.
Geothermal
Alabama has low to moderate temperature resources that can be tapped for direct heat or for geothermal heat pumps. However, electricity generation is not possible with these resources.
Hydropower
Alabama has a good hydropower resource as a percentage of its electricity generation. For additional resource information, check out the Idaho National Laboratory's Virtual Hydropower Prospector (VHP). VHP is a convenient geographic information system (GIS) tool designed to assist you in locating and assessing natural stream water energy resources in the United States.
Solar
To accurately portray your state's solar resource, we need two maps. That is because different collector types use the sun in different ways. Collectors that focus the sun (like a magnifying glass) can reach high temperatures and efficiencies. These are called concentrating collectors. Typically, these collectors are on a tracker, so they always face the sun directly. Because these collectors focus the sun's rays, they only use the direct rays coming straight from the sun.
Other solar collectors are simply flat panels that can be mounted on a roof or on the ground. Called flat-plate collectors, these are typically fixed in a tilted position correlated to the latitude of the location. This allows the collector to best capture the sun. These collectors can use both the direct rays from the sun and reflected light that comes through a cloud or off the ground. Because they use all available sunlight, flat-plate collectors are the best choice for many northern states. Therefore, this site gives you two maps: one is the resource for a concentrating collector and one is the resource for a flat-plate collector.
What do the maps mean? For flat-plate collectors, Alabama has a useful solar resource, particularly in the southeastern region of the state. For concentrating collectors, Alabama has a useful resource only in the southeastern region of the state. This could be used for water heating or PV systems, but not large concentrating solar systems.
Wind
Current resources indicate that Alabama does not have sufficient wind resources to use large-scale wind turbines. However, these maps may miss localized windy areas where on-site testing can give better information. In addition, small wind turbines may have applications in some areas. For more information on Alabama's wind resource, visit Wind Powering America's U.S. Wind Resource Map.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency means doing the same work, or more, and enjoying the same comfort level with less energy. Consequently, energy efficiency can be considered part of your state's energy resource base - a demand side resource. Unlike energy conservation, which is rooted in behavior, energy efficiency is technology based. This means the savings may be predicted by engineering calculations, and they are sustained over time. Examples of energy efficiency measures and equipment include compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and high efficiency air conditioners, refrigerators, boilers, and chillers.
Saving energy through efficiency is less expensive than building new power plants. Utilities can plan for, invest in, and add up technology-based energy efficiency measures and, as a consequence, defer or avoid the need to build a new power plant. In this way, Austin, Texas, aggregated enough energy savings to offset the need for a planned 450-megawatt coal-fired power plant. Austin achieved these savings during a decade when the local economy grew by 46% and the population doubled. In addition, the savings from energy efficiency are significantly greater than one might expect, because no energy is needed to generate, transmit, distribute, and store energy before it reaches the end user.
Reduced fuel use, and the resulting decreased pollution, provide short- and long-term economic and health benefits.
For more information on current state policies related to energy efficiency, visit the Alliance to Save Energy's State Energy Efficiency Policies page.