Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business has begun a research project to determine how Arizonians can make the most of the state’s sustainable energy resources. Economists and engineers will be working to draw solar and other renewable energy companies to the state, and develop interactive tools that will help users get information on renewables and make decisions on what resources would be best for their location.

The study will hopefully serve as a model for other states as they look for ways to reduce their dependence on foreign oil, reduce emissions, and develop a clean technology economy. The SMART Project, which stands for Solar Market Analysis and Research Tool, will provide state residents and businesses with a web tool to allow them to determine if solar power would be an option for them, based on their location and cost constraints. In addition, policymakers and large businesses will have access to information regarding job creation and the environmental impact of larger projects.

“Most of the talk about solar energy has focused on how to make it more efficient and technically viable,” says Professor Tim James, director of research and consulting at the L. William Seidman Research Institute at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business. “There’s been little comprehensive thought about how to put solar and other renewable energy into place to help the economy. Things like state permits, tax credits and other incentives need to be carefully considered, along with technical feasibility and potential locations, so we can all get the most bang for our buck.”

The SMART project also includes technical research by ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Engineers will be looking at how to “plug-in” renewables projects to the existing grid, along with other technical aspects that go along with implementing clean energy. Professor Vijay Vittal, the Ira A. Fulton Chair Professor, explains, “The primary focus of this analysis is to ascertain the viability of the transmission grid with increased penetration of solar resources and to also determine the needed transmission reinforcement to achieve the required reliability performance.”

SMART is funded by several partners, including APS, BrightSource Energy, Salt River Project, Science Foundation Arizona, Tucson Electric Power, ViaSol Energy Solutions and software maker CreateASoft, Inc.

Arizona State University has demonstrated a high commitment to sustainability through efforts such as creation of the first School of Sustainability in the nation and the installation of large solar fields on the roofs of several campus parking structures. The Princeton Review recently named ASU one of the “greenest” universities in the country.

For more information regarding the Arizona SMART Project, see the W.P. Carey School of Business web site.

Photo courtesy of Diegosaurius Rex through a Creative Commons License.