yastogan/Solar-Farm-Suitability-Biskra

GIS-based solar farm suitability analysis for Biskra, Algeria using QGIS, remote sensing data, and weighted overlay analysis. # Solar Farm Suitability Mapping for Biskra, Algeria ## Overview This project identifies the most suitable locations for photovoltaic (PV) solar farms in Biskra Province, Algeria using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The analysis combines environmental and infrastructure-related criteria through a Weighted Overlay Analysis to support renewable energy planning. --- # Study Area Biskra Province, Algeria Projection: WGS 84 / UTM Zone 31N (EPSG:32631) --- # Objectives - Identify optimal locations for photovoltaic power plants. - Evaluate solar energy potential. - Analyze terrain characteristics. - Assess land cover suitability. - Measure accessibility to roads. - Measure proximity to electrical transmission lines. - Produce a final suitability map. --- # Data Sources | Dataset | Source | |----------|--------| | Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) | Global Solar Atlas | | Photovoltaic Power Output (PVOUT) | Global Solar Atlas | | Copernicus DEM | Copernicus Programme | | ESA WorldCover v200 | ESA | | Roads | OpenStreetMap | | Power Lines | OpenStreetMap | --- # Methodology The following workflow was applied: 1. Collect GIS datasets. 2. Clip datasets to Biskra Province. 3. Generate slope from DEM. 4. Calculate distance to roads. 5. Calculate distance to power lines. 6. Prepare land cover layer. 7. Reclassify all raster layers. 8. Apply Weighted Overlay Analysis. 9. Produce the final suitability map. --- # Criteria Weights | Criterion | Weight | |-----------|---------| | GHI | 30% | | PVOUT | 25% | | Slope | 20% | | Land Cover | 10% | | Distance to Roads | 10% | | Distance to Power Lines | 5% | --- # Maps ## Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) --- ## Photovoltaic Power Output (PVOUT) --- ## Slope --- ## Land Cover --- ## Final Solar Suitability Map --- # Results The weighted overlay analysis identified the northern part of Biskra Province as the most suitable area for photovoltaic …