  Greenhouse gases (GHG) trap heat and make the planet warmer, exacerbating
global climate change. Energy production is the second largest contributor to
climate change [19]. In particular, the production of electricity and use of
gas contribute to climate change. Additionally, gas is not renewable and the
source of electricity may not be renewable either. How and whether communities
transition to renewable and/or cleaner energy sources is dependent on a number
of factors, including energy needs, cost, space, emissions, jobs, and
materials. In this paper, we explore minimizing the cost of building,
operating, and maintaining energy sources. We consider different combinations
of cleaner and/or more renewable energy sources to meet energy needed for a
given city while keeping total emissions, land use, and energy infrastructure
costs low. For specificity, we use the city of Chicago as a test case. If we
use a combination of wind and solar energy to meet the total energy needs of
Chicago, we find that it is most cost effective to use only wind. However when
variable demand and production are included, it is most cost effective to use a
combination of wind and solar. If nuclear and geothermal energy are included to
decrease overproduction, it is most cost effective to use a combination of wind
and geothermal energy.
