State and Local Planning for Energy Beta Platform Launches
Jan. 3, 2020 by Laura Beshilas and Megan Day
The beta State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Platform launched in January 2020, delivering a wealth of energy consumption, efficiency, and renewable energy generation data for state and local governments.
The result of a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NREL, SLOPE is a tool to enable more data-driven state and local energy planning by integrating dozens of distinct sources of data and analyses into one easy-to-access online platform.
SLOPE seeks to:
- Assist decision makers in understanding the various cost-effective options to meet their energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation goals
- Capture the value of the myriad but dispersed energy data and tools available by increasing awareness of and access to these resources
- Provide an integrated, easy-to-use platform to explore the data and information on opportunities available to state and local governments and other key energy planning stakeholders.
For example, a state with a clean energy goal may use SLOPE to find high-level data on efficiency and generation potential for various clean energy technologies, the relative projected costs of these technologies, and modeled electricity consumption in the state through 2050. SLOPE will also have links to further data, tools, and resources to inform clean energy planning. Revisions and additional data will be added to SLOPE near the end of 2020.
Available Beta Data
SLOPE beta data currently includes:
|
Energy Efficiency Potential |
Statewide residential, commercial, and industrial sector energy efficiency potential Single-family home energy efficiency and cost-savings potential Current and projected commercial building stock counts at the state and county levels |
|---|---|
|
Electricity and Natural Gas Consumption |
Projected business-as-usual electricity and natural gas consumption and expenditures from modeled baseline data for the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors |
|
Renewable Energy Generation |
Technical generation potential for utility-scale, floating, and rooftop photovoltaic solar power, concentrating solar power, land-based and offshore wind, biopower, geothermal power, and hydropower |
|
Levelized Cost of Energy |
Projected levelized cost of energy for renewable and fossil fuel generation technologies |
|
Projected Population |
Projected population based on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Land Cast model. |
Figure 1. The map in this SLOPE screen capture shows the modeled electricity and natural
gas consumption in U.S. counties in 2050. The chart shows the tool’s projected electricity
and natural gas consumption for El Paso County, Colorado, under a business-as-usual
case.
A decision maker could use the SLOPE beta data illustrated above to understand the future electricity consumption to guide renewable energy investments to meet their jurisdiction’s needs.
Future Enhancements
Future SLOPE enhancements will include:
- The ability for users to save their settings
- Transportation and vehicles data
- Levelized cost of energy for distributed wind and solar and levelized cost of heating
- New building stock co-location analysis assessing district heating system potential in areas of anticipated growth.
Beta Testers Needed
NREL is looking for user feedback from beta testers! Please access the beta SLOPE Platform and share your feedback on how the platform and content can be improved to enhance the user experience at slope@nrel.gov.
Additional Resources
For additional resources related to energy data and public-sector energy priorities, visit the DOE State and Local Solution Center.
To receive monthly updates on the newest resources, news, and funding opportunities for the public sector, please subscribe to the DOE State and Local Spotlight.
Contact
If you have any questions about the SLOPE Platform, please contact slope@nrel.gov.
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