takondwazachariah01-gif/Solar-pv-suitability-malawi

A QGIS multi-Criteria Evaluation using the analytical Hierarchy Process to assess utility-scale solar land suitability in Balaka, Dedza and Mangochi districts # GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Solar Farm Suitability ### **Study Area:** Balaka, Dedza, and Mangochi Districts, Malawi **Technical Project Documentation & Validation Framework** --- ## 1. Introduction and Study Scope The deployment of utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) is an essential component of strategic clean infrastructure planning. This project establishes an empirical multi-criteria framework utilizing the **Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)** and **Geographic Information Systems (GIS)** to evaluate land suitability for optimized solar farm selection across three critical districts in central and southern Malawi: **Balaka, Dedza, and Mangochi**. This region provides an exceptional research landscape due to its high horizontal solar irradiance profiles and varying terrain layout across the Rift Valley. --- ## 2. Methodology and Spatial Data Framework To perform a mathematical spatial index calculation, various raster and vector datasets were collected, clipped, and standardized. All spatial processes were calculated within a uniform projected coordinate environment to preserve accuracy across geographic distances. ### 2.1 Data Inventory and Coordinate Referencing | Dataset Layer | Data Format | Coordinate Reference System (CRS) | Data Source | Analytical Purpose | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Administrative Boundaries** | Vector Polygon | EPSG:32736 (WGS 84 / UTM 36S) | MASDAP | Study boundary mask clipping | | **Global Horizontal Irradiation** | Raster Grid | EPSG:32736 (WGS 84 / UTM 36S) | Global Solar Atlas (World Bank) | Solar resource index input | | **Digital Elevation Model** | Raster Grid | EPSG:32736 (WGS 84 / UTM 36S) | Derek Watkins SRTM | Topographic slope | | **High Voltage Power Network** | Vector Line | EPSG:32736 (WGS 84 / UTM 36S) | OpenStreetMap | Proximity analysis for grid injection | | **Road Transport Corridors** | Vector Line | EPSG:32736 (WGS 84 / UTM 36S) | MASDAP | Logistics and accessibility …