Solar Siting in the Golden Triangle Region of Mississippi

This thesis aims to identify locations in the Golden Triangle Region of Mississippi that is best suited for the construction of new utility-scale solar plants. Previous research typically has been conducted on the national scale, which often does not provide enough guidance for regional plants, such as in the state of Mississippi, that serve a smaller population and/or are not in the region with the highest solar irradiance. This study spans the seven-county region defined as the Golden Triangle Region in north-central Mississippi, serving as a preliminary analysis to determine which counties are best for consideration. Using topographic (i.e. slope and aspect), locative (i.e. distance to roads, distance to electrical grid, and distance to urban areas), and other land characteristics (i.e. protected status and land use), binary filters and a weighted formula are sequentially applied to the studied area, using ArcGIS Pro as the host software. It was found that, on average, sites were more likely to have a higher suitability score, indicating a high quality of sites present in the non-excluded areas. All seven counties had high percentages of sites that met the desired criteria. By close margins, it was determined that Winston and Choctaw counties are the best starting point for new, large utility-scale solar opportunities, with Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties providing opportunities for smaller, load dependent sites. When locating the largest contiguous plot available in the region, Lowndes County hosts this region, with a plot directly adjacent to the Columbus Air Force Base being identified.