Leveraging a geographic information system in co-optimized expansion planning for Iowa

There is significant need to plan for the growing demand for clean energy in the future. This research project anticipates a very high wind penetration future for the state of Iowa, and with it the necessity to upgrade or build transmission to transfer the energy to load centers in the east and south. Unlike the traditional planning approach which identifies generation and transmission system investment sequentially, a co-optimization approach identifies them simultaneously, yielding significant economic benefit. Interpreting the results of the planning process is crucial, and the ability to visualize them facilitates understanding of the plan. Thus, to support this approach, a Geographic Information System (GIS) is used to select feasible sites for wind farms and to efficiently communicate co-optimized generation and transmission expansion planning investment results.