Abstract

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Paper
Navajo Wind Energy Development Exclusions: An Analysis of Land Suitable for Wind Energy Development on the Navajo Nation
Track: Electric and Gas
Author(s): Grant Brummels, Thomas Acker, Susan Williams

Navajo land and wind resource within Arizona were analyzed to determine suitable land for wind energy development and potential wind energy capacity. This presentation will show which areas of land can and cannot be developed on the Navajo Reservation. It will highlight how 30 m, ReGAP, satellite data can be used to identify developed land, wetlands, forests, and other important ecosystems. It will present Topographic Position Index, a method for identifying ridge crests, mesas, and other important landscape features pertinent to wind energy development.



The audience will be engaged through high-quality maps that highlight the relationships between land exclusions and wind resource. These maps show how wetlands are prevalent on the reservation, especially when compared to the rest of Arizona. After removing land that cannot be developed, maps will show the potential wind energy capacity on the Navajo Reservation to be 4562 MW or 79 percent of total potential capacity at 50 m.

Grant Brummels
Sustainable Energy Solutions at Northern Arizona University
23 W Cedar Ave ##3
Flagstaff , AZ 86001
US
Phone: (928) 600-4546
E-mail: Grant.Brummels@nau.edu

Thomas Acker
Northern Arizona University
PO Box 15600
Flagstaff , AZ 86011
US
Phone: (928) 607-6814
E-mail: Tom.Acker@nau.edu

Susan Williams
Northern Arizona University
PO Box 15600
Flagstaff , AZ 86011
US
Phone: (928) 699-2552
E-mail: SK.Williams@nau.edu