Abstract
The aim of the study was to develop a nationally universal method for estimating the solar resources and to assess, at the municipality scale, the suitability for photovoltaic development based on the implementation of GIS&T (Geographic Information Science and Technology), multi-criteria analyses, and spatial data gathered from the National Geodetic and Cartographic Resources. The developed method is based on the use of digital topographic data and data gathered by means of modern remote sensing methods as a point cloud from airborne laser scanning. Based on studies in the literature, the formal and legal conditions applicable in Poland were discussed. The sets of constraints and factor criteria have been created as a base for evaluating the suitability of a chosen municipality for photovoltaic farms’ emplacement. Weight calculations in a multi-criteria method—an AHP method (analytic hierarchy process)—were applied. In the multi-criteria analysis, 27 constraints and 13 factors were included. Undoubtedly, a utilitarian feature of the developed method is the calculation models allowing full automation of the process of spatial assessment of municipality territories for photovoltaic farms’ development. Furthermore, calculation models can be easily adapted to some specific conditions that occur in the analyzed municipality territories. The results obtained confirm the significant usefulness of the implemented approach in the context of the spatial suitability assessment of photovoltaic development at the municipality scale.
Highlights
In recent years, in Poland, a systematic increase in the investments of installations based on the use of solar energy has been observed [1]
The main goal of this work was to develop a universal method for the spatial assessment of areas of the selected commune that is useful for photovoltaic technologies with a minimum capacity of 1
Computational models were developed to ease the process of determining areas unsuitable for the photovoltaic plants in the scale of the rural borough
Summary
In Poland, a systematic increase in the investments of installations based on the use of solar energy has been observed [1]. The usefulness of the country’s areas in this sector is insufficiently recognized. Studies in the literature have the possibility of applying the conditions prevailing in Poland. The main goal of this work was to develop a universal method for the spatial assessment of areas of the selected commune that is useful for photovoltaic technologies with a minimum capacity of 1. Within the scope of this work, a set of exclusion criteria (constraints) and a set of criteria of a soft nature (factors, parameters) were developed. The soft criteria were weighted using the chosen method of multi-criteria decision support—AHP (analytic hierarchy process) [6]
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