The U. S. Interior Department has designated large tracts of public land in Arizona for large-scale generation of wind and solar energy.

About 192,100 acres in the state have been designated for having huge potential for renewable energy generation following an environmental analysis of three years in the state. The agency said that the selected land are disturbed land that are primarily used for agriculture and the land that does not have environmental or wildlife concerns.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a news release that, "Arizona has huge potential when it comes to building a clean-energy economy, and this landscape-level plan lays a solid foundation for making sure that it happens in the right way and in the right places."

Kathy Pedrick, special assistant to the Bureau of Land Management's state director pointed out that the designated land is located near urban areas that have high demand for electricity and the areas also have access to power transmission lines in the state.

She also said that the release will act as a guide for clean energy developers but each of the development proposal will undergo a specific environmental review.