Potential locations for Green Cities in Mexico

Following on from our look at the feasibility and practicality of establishing sustainable, accessible Green Cities in Mexico, this post seeks to identify the best locations in Mexico for Green Cities based on an analysis of the natural resources of wind, solar and water.

Of the 31 states in Mexico, only ten were evaluated in detail. Twelve were not evaluated due to their current social conflicts. Seven others were not evaluated because of their propensity for hurricanes, and two were not evaluated due to their mountainous terrain, which is not favorable for generating energy from the wind. The remaining ten states were evaluated using maps similar to those in our previous post about Green Cities.

Of the ten states evaluated (see map), two were rated as having the “Best” wind and solar. But, of the two, Tlaxcala has the best overall ratings of wind, solar and moisture. The best locations in Tlaxcala are in the north and northeast areas of the state. Two other states have a wind and solar rating of “Better”, and three are rated “Good.” Three more have a rating of “Poor.” See the summary chart below.

Summary chart of wind, solar, moisture by state:

Summary chart of wind, solar, moisture by state. Individual ratings: 0 = Poor, 1 = Good, 2 = Better, 3 = Best, 4 = Excellent

State	Wind	Solar	Moisture	Total
Tlaxcala	3.3	2.0	2.4	7.7
Oaxaca	2.0	2.0	3.1	7.1
Aguascalientes	3.4	2.0	1.0	6.4
Hidalgo	2.1	1.9	1.7	5.7
Zacatecas	2.7	2.0	0.9	5.6
San Luis Potosí	2.6	1.9	1.0	5.5
Guanajuato	2.2	2.0	1.2	5.4
Puebla	1.1	1.8	2.4	5.3
Querétaro	1.4	2.0	1.0	4.4
Durango	1.0	2.3	1.0	4.3

 

Recommendation:

The recommendation is to do additional evaluations on Tlaxcala, Guanajuato, Hidalgo and Oaxaca, all of which have potential areas suitable for a Green City. Aguascalientes, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí have good wind and solar ratings, but low moisture ratings which could be a problem. But, they could also be acceptable if suitable “Air to Water” technology were available.