A Regional GIS-Assisted Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Site-Suitability for the Development of Solar Farms

Jesús A. Prieto-Amparán, Alfredo Pinedo-Alvarez, Carlos R. Morales-Nieto, María C. Valles-Aragón, Alan Álvarez-Holguín and Federico Villarreal-Guerrero
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Jesús A. Prieto-Amparán: Facultad de Ciencias Agrotecnológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Ave. Pascual Orozco s/n, Campus 1, Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31350, Mexico
Alfredo Pinedo-Alvarez: Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Periférico Francisco R. Almada km 1, Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31453, Mexico
Carlos R. Morales-Nieto: Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Periférico Francisco R. Almada km 1, Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31453, Mexico
María C. Valles-Aragón: Facultad de Ciencias Agrotecnológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Ave. Pascual Orozco s/n, Campus 1, Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31350, Mexico
Alan Álvarez-Holguín: Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Campo Experimental La Campana, km 33.3 Carretera Chihuahua-Ojinaga, Aldama, Chihuahua 32910, Mexico
Federico Villarreal-Guerrero: Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Periférico Francisco R. Almada km 1, Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31453, Mexico

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: One of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources is solar energy. A strategic step for a well-performing solar project is site identification. The evaluation of site-suitability is a complex task, where multiple qualitative and quantitative criteria, inherent to the territory, are involved. In this study, a GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology for site-suitability evaluation in the development of solar farms (DSF) is presented. Two scenarios, the ranking method (RM) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), each representing a different weighting approach, were tested. A case study was performed for the Desert of Chihuahua, Mexico, a region with the potential to provide a significant portion of the country’s energy demand. The RM was more stringent and identified less area with high suitability (1237 km 2 ) compared to the AHP (4983 km 2 ). Given its flexibility in assigning weights, the AHP is considered to have greater potential in identifying site-suitability levels. The final suitability maps of the AHP showed the northern part of the study region to have high suitability for the DSF. Thus, sites in this area could be used for the construction of solar energy projects in the future. This methodology provides a useful tool for land-use planning based on its suitability level.

Keywords: multi-criteria decision-making; analytical hierarchy process; solar energy; solar irradiation; spatial analysis; land suitability; MCDM-AHP (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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