An energy park is a separate area used and planned for the purpose of
clean energy development, like
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
and
solar generation facilities.
Energy parks create many other economic development benefits too. In
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, energy parks are creating thousands of
green job
Green jobs (green-collar jobs, sustainability jobs, eco jobs or environmental jobs) are, according to the United Nations Environment Program, "work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and serv ...
s. In Minnesota,
community wind parks are also popular. In England,
wind parks are commonly known as
wind farm
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...
s. A more "lightweight" version of an energy park is a wind park or
solar park. These have one type of clean energy generation, rather than two or more technologies, as in an energy park.
Some energy parks feature additional features beyond clean energy generation. Additional benefits include: green job creation,
Smart grid
A smart grid is an electrical grid which includes a variety of operation and energy measures including:
*Advanced metering infrastructure (of which smart meters are a generic name for any utility side device even if it is more capable e.g. a f ...
connections, as well as new recreational, technology innovation and agricultural opportunities. The Stamford Energy Park in Vermont is one example of an integrated energy park.
See also
*
Mega-Site
A Megasite or Mega-Site is a land development by private developers, universities, or governments to promote business clusters. These organizations develop the land so that it is " shovel ready" for big business, by improving the infrastructure ( ...
Notes
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Industrial parks
Sustainable technologies