Advancing Regional Energy Planning
TOOLS & RESOURCES
The power of Mapping & Data
Mapping and data tools are a key way regional planning organizations can support the siting of new energy production facilities.
These tools help address a wide range of considerations, from identifying high-potential solar and wind zones to evaluating transmission corridors, water resources, and potential community impacts. By grounding decisions in data, they enable planners to anticipate challenges and make more informed choices early in the process.
This is especially critical because regional planning organizations and local governments must balance technical feasibility with community needs, regulatory requirements, and long-term resilience to move projects successfully from proposal to approval and implementation.
Federal resources like the National Laboratory of the Rockies’ (formerly known as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) datasets, DOE’s mapping platforms, and EDA’s economic data portals, alongside regional dashboards and locally developed GIS layers, allow MPOs, RPOs, and COGs to visualize and communicate trade-offs and opportunities in real time.
This resources page provides tactics, case studies, and printable resources for regional planning organizations to engage their communities in regional energy facility siting. This page will be updated with additional and new resources as they are created.
If you have a resource that could be of assistance to a COG, MPO, or RPO on this topic, please send it to luxe.langmade@narc.org
Tools
National Laboratory of the Rockies’ Tools includes data catalogs, software, and solutions for solar, wind, energy systems, transportation, mobility, and grid modernization: Data and Tools | NLR
DOE’s Renewable Energy Tools include mapping tools, cost calculators, and planning resources: Renewable Energy Maps and Tools | Department of Energy
EDA’s Tools include regional data sources, and other tools for reports and CEDS planning: Research Reports, Tools, and Data Sources | U.S. Economic Development Administration
Resources
Keystone Policy Center fosters collaborative policy development and helping communities and their leaders develop the capacities to handle complex and contentious issues.
SERI researches discursive approaches to policy and social relations to the environment and the practical gains provided by theory to realize concrete benefits to individuals, society, and the environment.
DOE’s Consent-Based Siting Consortia supports collaborative, community-centered approaches to energy infrastructure siting by providing resources, research, and capacity-building assistance.
SolSmart provides no-cost technical assistance to help local governments follow national best practices to expand solar energy use in their jurisdictions and has a myriad of resources available related to solar energy.
Charging Smart offers free technical assistance to help local governments adopt policies, practices, and incentives that exemplify recognized best practices for enabling efficient EV charger expansion.
Resolving Land and Energy Conflicts is a book that distills complex land-use issues and offers recommendations related to energy planning and land-use.