PV site suitability analysis using GIS-based spatial fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation

This paper presents some preliminary results from a research study conducted on solar energy resource assessment in Oman. GIS-based spatial multi-criteria evaluation approach, in terms of the FLOWA module was used to assess the land suitability for large PV farms implementation in Oman. The tool used applies fuzzy quantifiers within ArcGIS environment allowing the integration of a multi-criteria decision analysis. Land suitability analysis for large PV farms implementation was carried out for the case study of Oman. The overlay results obtained from the analysis of the resultant maps showed that 0.5% of the total land area demonstrate a high suitability level. Different PV technologies were considered for implementation. It was found that the CPV technology provides very high technical potential for implementing large solar plants. In fact, if all highly suitable land is completely exploited for CPV implementation, it can produce almost 45.5 times the present total power demand in Oman.