Abstract
Princeton University's Net-Zero America Project (NZAP), an optimization modelling study, projected five technological pathways to achieve a net-zero economy by 2050.
We conduct a spatially explicit downscaling analysis of NZAP projected onshore wind deployment in Iowa to quantify the impact that local siting regulations, not included in NZAP or other leading energy system modelling studies, could have on the feasibility of achieving the pace and scale of deployments.
We catalogued all county-level wind ordinances and used GIS to calculate the reduction in land availability for overall wind potential and specific technological pathways.
We considered four scenarios, including current ordinances, a future with ordinances in all counties, and both current and future wind turbine technology.