DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8216090
title: GRIDCERF: Geospatial Raster Input Data for Capacity Expansion Regional Feasibility

description: <strong>Abstract:</strong> Climate change, energy system transitions, and socioeconomic change are compounding influences affecting the growth of electricity demand. While energy efficiency initiatives and distributed resources can address a significant amount of this demand, the United States will likely still need new utility-scale generation resources. The energy sector uses capacity expansion planning models to determine the aggregate need for new generation, but these models are typically at the state or regional scale and are not equipped to address the wide range of location- and technology-specific issues that are increasingly a factor in power plant siting. To help address these challenges, we have developed the Geospatial Raster Input Data for Capacity Expansion Regional Feasibility (GRIDCERF) data package, a high-resolution product to evaluate siting suitability for renewable and non-renewable power plants in the conterminous United States. GRIDCERF offers 265 suitability layers for use with 56 power plant technology configurations in a harmonized format that can be easily ingested by geospatially-enabled modeling software. It also provides pre-compiled technology-specific suitability layers and allows for user customization to robustly address science objectives when evaluating varying future conditions. <strong>Accompanying GitHub repository:</strong> The following GitHub repository contains the code used to generate the data in this archive: https://github.com/IMMM-SFA/vernon-etal_2023_scidata <strong>Contents:</strong> <strong>Note:</strong> GRIDCERF does not provide the source data directly due to some license restrictions related for direct redistribution of the unaltered source data. However, the included file "gridcerf_source_data_description.csv" details the provenance associated with each source dataset and notes their individual licenses/disclaimers. <strong>Common Rasters:</strong> <strong>Suitability Layer Type and Source</strong> <strong>GRIDCERF Raster Name</strong> <strong>Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Surface Management Agency Areas</strong><strong><sup>33</sup></strong> gridcerf_blm_surface_management_agency_areas.tif <strong>BLM National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) - National Monuments</strong><strong><sup>34</sup></strong> gridcerf_blm_nlcs_national_monument_conus.tif <strong>BLM NLCS - Outstanding Natural Areas</strong><strong><sup>35</sup></strong> gridcerf_blm_nlcs_outstanding_natural_areas_conus.tif <strong>BLM NLCS - Wilderness</strong><strong><sup>36</sup></strong> gridcerf_blm_nlcs_wilderness_conus.tif <strong>BLM NLCS - Wilderness Study Areas</strong><strong><sup>37</sup></strong> gridcerf_blm_nlcs_wilderness_study_areas_conus.tif <strong>National Park Service (NPS) Class 1 airsheds</strong><strong><sup>38</sup></strong> gridcerf_class1_airsheds_conus.tif <strong>NPS Administrative Boundaries</strong><strong><sup>39</sup></strong> gridcerf_nps_administrative_boundaries_conus.tif <strong>NPS Historic Trails</strong><strong><sup>40</sup></strong> gridcerf_nps_historic_trails_conus.tif <strong>NPS Scenic Trails</strong><strong><sup>41</sup></strong> gridcerf_nps_scenic_trails_conus.tif <strong>U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) - Critical Habitat</strong><strong><sup>42</sup></strong> gridcerf_usfws_critical_habitat_conus.tif <strong>USFWS - Special Designation</strong><strong><sup>43</sup></strong> gridcerf_usfws_special_designation_conus.tif <strong>USFWS - Wild and Scenic River System</strong><strong><sup>44</sup></strong> gridcerf_usfws_national_wild_scenic_river_system_conus.tif <strong>USFWS - National Realty Tracts</strong><strong><sup>45</sup></strong> gridcerf_usfws_national_realty_tracts_conus.tif <strong>National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) Wetlands</strong><strong><sup>46</sup></strong> gridcerf_nlcd_wetlands_conus.tif <strong>U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Administrative Boundaries</strong><strong><sup>47</sup></strong> gridcerf_usfs_administrative_boundaries_conus.tif <strong>USFS Wilderness Areas</strong><strong><sup>48</sup></strong> gridcerf_usfs_wilderness_areas_conus.tif <strong>U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wilderness Lands</strong><strong><sup>49</sup></strong> gridcerf_usgs_wilderness_areas_conus.tif <strong>USGS Protected Areas of the U.S - Class 1&2</strong><strong><sup>50</sup></strong> gridcerf_usgs_padus_class_1_to_2_conus.tif <strong>U.S. State Protected Lands</strong><strong><sup>51</sup></strong> gridcerf_wdpa_state_protected_lands_conus.tif <strong>Nature Conservancy lands</strong><strong><sup>52</sup></strong> gridcerf_wdpa_tnc_managed_lands_conus.tif <strong>Technology-specific Rasters:</strong> <strong>Suitability Layer Type and Source</strong> <strong>GRIDCERF Raster Name</strong> <strong>Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Land Area Representations Dataset</strong><strong><sup>53</sup></strong> gridcerf_bia_land_area_representations_conus.tif <strong>Slope 5% or less suitable</strong><strong><sup>20</sup></strong> gridcerf_srtm_slope_5pct_or_less.tif <strong>Slope 10% or less suitable</strong><strong><sup>20</sup></strong> gridcerf_srtm_slope_10pct_or_less.tif <strong>Slope 12% or less suitable</strong><strong><sup>20</sup></strong> gridcerf_srtm_slope_12pct_or_less.tif <strong>Slope 20% or less suitable</strong><strong><sup>20</sup></strong> gridcerf_srtm_slope_20pct_or_less.tif <strong>Airports (10-mile buffer)</strong><strong><sup>54</sup></strong> gridcerf_airports_10mi_buffer_conus.tif <strong>Airports (3-mile buffer)</strong><strong><sup>54</sup></strong> gridcerf_airports_3mi_buffer_conus.tif <strong>Proximity to Railroad and Navigable Waters (&lt; 5 km)</strong> <strong><sup>55,56</sup></strong> gridcerf_usdot_railnodes_navwaters_within5km.tif <strong>Coal Supply</strong><strong><sup>55–57</sup></strong> gridcerf_coalmines20km_railnodes5km_navwaters5km_conus.tif <strong>United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CO Non-attainment Areas</strong><strong><sup>58</sup></strong> gridcerf_epa_nonattainment_co_conus.tif <strong>EPA NOx Non-attainment Areas</strong><strong><sup>58</sup></strong> gridcerf_epa_nonattainment_no2_conus.tif <strong>EPA Ozone Non-attainment Areas</strong><strong><sup>58</sup></strong> gridcerf_epa_nonattainment_ozone_conus.tif <strong>EPA Lead Non-attainment Areas</strong><strong><sup>58</sup></strong> gridcerf_epa_nonattainment_lead_conus.tif <strong>EPA PM10 Non-attainment Areas</strong><strong><sup>58</sup></strong> gridcerf_epa_nonattainment_pm10_conus.tif <strong>EPA PM2.5 Non-attainment Areas</strong><strong><sup>58</sup></strong> gridcerf_epa_nonattainment_pm2p5_conus.tif <strong>EPA SOx Non-attainment Areas</strong><strong><sup>58</sup></strong> gridcerf_epa_nonattainment_so2_conus.tif <strong>Earthquake Potential</strong><strong><sup>59</sup></strong> gridcerf_usgs_earthquake_pga_0.3_at_2pct_in_50yrs_conus.tif <strong>Densely population areas</strong><strong><sup>11</sup></strong> gridcerf_densely_populated_ssp[2,3,5]_[year].tif <strong>Densely population areas buffered by 25 miles</strong><strong><sup>11</sup></strong> gridcerf_densely_populated_ssp[2,3,5]_[year]_buff25mi.tif <strong>Densely population areas – nuclear</strong><strong><sup>11</sup></strong> gridcerf_densely_populated_ssp[2,3,5]_[year]_nuclear.tif <strong>National Hydrography Dataset (version 2; NHDv2)</strong><strong><sup>32</sup></strong> gridcerf_nhd2plus_surfaceflow_greaterthan[bin]mgd_buffer20km.tif <strong>National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) concentrating solar direct normal potential</strong><strong><sup>26</sup></strong> gridcerf_nrel_solar_csp_centralized_potential.tif <strong>NREL photovoltaic potential</strong><strong><sup>26</sup></strong> gridcerf_nrel_solar_pv_centralized_potential.tif <strong>NREL Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) toolkit</strong><strong><sup>22</sup></strong> gridcerf_nrel_wind_development_potential_hubheight[080,110,140]_cf35.tif <strong>Compiled Technology Rasters:</strong> The following technology raster file names are self-descriptive in the format "gridcerf_&lt;technology&gt;_&lt;subtype&gt;_&lt;carbon_capture&gt;_&lt;cooling_type&gt;.tif". Some technologies do not have a carbon capture or cooling type designation and will simply have technology specific considerations listed. <pre>gridcerf_biomass_conventional_ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_biomass_conventional_ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_biomass_conventional_ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_biomass_conventional_no-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_biomass_conventional_no-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_biomass_conventional_no-ccs_pond.tif gridcerf_biomass_conventional_no-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_biomass_igcc_no-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_biomass_igcc_no-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_biomass_igcc_no-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_biomass_igcc_with-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_biomass_igcc_with-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_biomass_igcc_with-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_coal_conventional_ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_coal_conventional_ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_coal_conventional_ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_coal_conventional_no-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_coal_conventional_no-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_coal_conventional_no-ccs_pond.tif gridcerf_coal_conventional_no-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_coal_igcc_no-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_coal_igcc_no-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_coal_igcc_no-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_coal_igcc_with-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_coal_igcc_with-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_coal_igcc_with-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_gas_cc_ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_gas_cc_ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_gas_cc_ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_gas_cc_no-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_gas_cc_no-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_gas_cc_no-ccs_pond.tif gridcerf_gas_cc_no-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_gas_turbine_dry.tif gridcerf_gas_turbine_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_gas_turbine_pond.tif gridcerf_gas_turbine_recirculating.tif gridcerf_nuclear_gen3_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_nuclear_gen3_pond.tif gridcerf_nuclear_gen3_recirculating.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_cc_ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_cc_ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_cc_ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_cc_no-ccs_dry.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_cc_no-ccs_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_cc_no-ccs_recirculating.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_ct_dry.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_ct_oncethrough.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_ct_pond.tif gridcerf_refinedliquids_ct_recirculating.tif gridcerf_solar_csp_centralized_dry-hybrid.tif gridcerf_solar_csp_centralized_recirculating.tif gridcerf_solar_pv_centralized.tif gridcerf_wind_onshore_hubheight080m.tif gridcerf_wind_onshore_hubheight110m.tif gridcerf_wind_onshore_hubheight140m.tif </pre> <strong>Reference Data: </strong>Contains land mask and other useful boundary data. <strong>References:</strong> 1. Bureau of Land Management. BLM National Surface Management Agency Area Polygons - National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA). <em>Landscape Approach Data Portal</em> https://gbp-blm-egis.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/blm-national-sma-surface-management-agency-area-polygons/about (2023). 2. Bureau of Land Management. BLM National NLCS National Monuments, National Conservation Areas and Similar Designations Polygons. <em>U.S.Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management Geospatial Business Plaform</em> https://gbp-blm-egis.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/BLM-EGIS::blm-natl-nlcs-national-monuments-national-conservation-areas-polygons/about (2023). 3. Hartger, P. NLCS Outstanding Natural Areas. <em>ArcGIS Hub</em> https://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/Wilderness::nlcs-outstanding-natural-areas/about (2017). 4. Bureau of Land Management. BLM National NLCS Wilderness Areas Polygons. <em>U.S.Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management Geospatial Business Plaform</em> https://arcg.is/a01uC (2023). 5. Bureau of Land Management. BLM National NLCS Wilderness Study Areas Polygons. <em>U.S.Department of Interior</em> https://arcg.is/14XPiC (2023). 6. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mandatory Class 1 Federal Areas Web Service. <em>Mandatory Class 1 Federal Areas Web Service</em> https://edg.epa.gov/metadata/catalog/search/resource/details.page?uuid=%7BF234E37B-E7CE-4A47-89D6-68399D540576%7D (2015). 7. National Park Service. National Park Service Boundary. <em>National Park Service</em> https://public-nps.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/nps::nps-boundary-4/about (2023). 8. National Park Service. National Historic Trails. <em>Geospatial Energy Mapper</em> https://gem.anl.gov/tool (2019). 9. National Park Service. National Scenic Trails. <em>Geospatial Energy Mapper</em> https://gem.anl.gov/tool (2019). 10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USFWS Threatened & Endangered Species Active Critical Habitat Report. <em>ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System</em> https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/report/table/critical-habitat.html (2023). 11. U.S. Fish and Wildlife. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Designation. <em>U.S. Fish and Wildlife</em> https://gis-fws.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/fws::fws-special-designation/about (2023). 12. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. <em>Geospatial Energy Mapper</em> https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/edw/edw_resources/shp/S_USA.WildScenicRiver_LN.zip (2014). 13. U.S. Fish and WIldlife Service. USFWS National Realty Tracts. <em>ServCat Fish and Wildlife Service Catalog</em> https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/Reference/Profile/154057 (2023). 14. Dewitz, J. & U.S. Geological Survey. National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2019 Products (ver. 2.0, June 2021). <em>Multi-Resoltuion Land Characteristics Consortium</em> https://www.mrlc.gov/data/nlcd-2019-land-cover-conus (2021). 15. USDA Forest Service. Administrative Forest Boundaries. <em>Download National Datasets</em> https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/edw/datasets.php?dsetCategory=boundaries (2015). 16. U.S. Forest Service. National Wilderness Areas. <em>Download National Datasets</em> https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/edw/datasets.php?xmlKeyword=Wilderness+areas (2023). 17. U.S. Geological Survey. Wilderness Areas in the United States. <em>ScienceBase-Catalog</em> https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/4fc8f0e4e4b0bffa8ab259e7 (2000). 18. U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Project. Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 3.0 (ver. 2.0, March 2023). <em>ScienceBase-Catalog</em> https://doi.org/10.5066/P9Q9LQ4B (2023). 19. Protected Planet. Protected Areas (WDPA). <em>Protected Areas (WDPA)</em> https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/wdpa?tab=WDPA (2023). 20. The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy lands. <em>The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Lands</em> https://geospatial.tnc.org/datasets/TNC::tnc-lands-north-america/about?layer=0 (2022). 21. Bureau of Indian Affairs. American Indian and Alaskan Native Land Area Representations (LAR). <em>U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs</em> https://biamaps.doi.gov/bogs/datadownload.html (2019). 22. Jarvis, A., Reuter, H. I., Nelson, A. & Guevara, E. Hole-filled SRTM for the globe Version 4. <em>CGIAR Consortium for Spatial Information</em> https://research.utwente.nl/en/publications/hole-filled-srtm-for-the-globe-version-4-data-grid (2008). 23. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Aviation Facilities. <em>Transportation.gov U.S. Department of Transportation</em> https://geodata.bts.gov/maps/usdot::aviation-facilities (2023). 24. U.S. Department of Transportation. North Ame