Solar Energy Study Area Maps

Solar energy study area maps are available for viewing/downloading in Adobe Acrobat, Google Maps/Earth, and Geographic Information System (GIS) formats.

Maps and supporting spatial data files that depict 24 tracts of BLM-administered land for in-depth study for solar development may be downloaded below.

Adobe Acrobat Format

Acrobat is the easiest way for most users to view the PEIS maps. The following maps require the free Acrobat Reader.

State	Letter Size 8½" x 11"	Poster Size 34" x 44"
Arizona	Download (396 KB)	Download (2.22 MB)
California	Download (476 KB)	Download (2.91 MB)
Colorado	Download (377 KB)	Download (1.44 MB)
Nevada	Download (1.36 MB)	Download (2.11 MB)
New Mexico	Download (321 KB)	Download (982 KB)
Utah	Download (290 KB)	Download (924 KB)

Solar Energy Study Area Township and Range Index (20 KB) List of the townships and ranges within which each solar energy study area is located.

Other BLM-Administered Lands Being Analyzed for Solar Development

BLM is also analyzing other lands that may be considered for solar energy development in the PEIS. These lands include all BLM lands in the 6-state study area with solar insolation levels greater than 6.5 kWh/m²/day and slopes of less than 5%, but exclude the following BLM-administered lands: Federally Designated Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, Instant Study Areas, National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, National Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered Species designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Right-of-Way Exclusion and Avoidance Areas, No Surface Occupancy Areas, and Special Recreation Management Areas. Also, any areas of less than 1 km² after the above exclusions were applied have been excluded. These lands are also being analyzed in the PEIS, but not as extensively as the Solar Energy Study Areas. Maps of these lands across the entire 6-state study area are not available.

Google Maps/Google Earth

Google Earth KMZ (171 KB) Advanced users may download this KMZ file to view the solar energy study areas in Google Earth.

Geographic Information System (GIS) Format

Data from a Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to produce the solar energy study area maps. The files included in the downloadable archive below are GIS data layers suitable for use with GIS software. The file is intended for use by GIS professionals, and requires GIS software (e.g., ESRI ArcGIS, Intergraph GeoMedia, QuantumGIS, uDig).

sesa090605.zip (158 KB) ArcGIS Shapefile (sesa090605.shp) files for solar energy study areas including Study area name and administering BLM Field Office. Metadata is included.

Interactive Panoramas

Interactive panoramas of the solar energy study areas are also available on this site. The panoramas allow users to navigate a virtual view of locations within each of the solar energy study areas.

Need Help? Have Questions?

If you have problems downloading these files or have questions about the solar energy study area maps or mapping data, contact the Webmaster at solareiswebmaster@anl.gov