Spatial Pattern Distribution of Wind and Solar Energy in USA

Abstract

Renewable energy, compared to non-renewable energy, is cleaner for the environment. Previous studies on the United States of America (USA) renewable energy mainly focused on assessment of renewable emerging resource potential in some areas in USA. Spatial distribution patterns of renewable energy are valuable to have better management of renewable energy exploration. The objective of this study is to complete spatial pattern analyses of the USA renewable energy with focus on wind and solar energy. Several GIS tools, including High/Low Clustering, Grouping Analysis and Hotspot Analysis, are applied to analyze the energy spatial patterns. The analysis results show that solar energy is clustered at the southwest USA while wind is highly variable and dependent on the local geographic environment. The study results will be helpful to possible growth in this industry.