Abstract

LUCIS Modeling for Renewable Energy in Cochise County, Arizona
Track: Urban and Regional Planning
Authors: Melanie Meyers Colavito, Erik Glenn, Mark Apel, Iris Patten

Sources of renewable energy are becoming increasingly important throughout the United States. From an economic development standpoint, renewable energy can serve as an important source of jobs and local growth. However, the sighting of potential renewable energy plants depends on a variety of physical and economic factors to ensure their sustainable development. To that end, the Regional Center for Sustainable Economic Development, Arizona Cooperative Extension, the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and the School of Geography and Development at the University of Arizona developed three models for renewable energy, including wind, solar, and bio energy, in Cochise County, Arizona. The three models and their associated parameters were developed using the fundamentals of the LUCIS (Land-Use Conflict Identification Strategy) Model and were run in ArcGIS ModelBuilder. The model outputs indicate that Cochise County has many opportunities for renewable energy development. Future modeling efforts will expand throughout the state of Arizona.