The site selection analysis for solar plant investments: A case study of Denizli province

The environmental impacts of energy production and consumption processes are becoming increasingly important as well as the limited resources of fossil fuels, as the demand for energy rapidly increases today. This situation emphasizes the importance of renewable energy and sustainability issues. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal have a significant potential in meeting the energy demand. The utilization of these sources can enhance the energy security while they are reducing environmental impacts. The appropriate site selection decisions becomes crucial with the increasing demand for renewable energy sources. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) which is a Multi-Criteria the Decision-Making (MCDM) method are preferred often as the effective tools in this process. The main aim of the study is determine the basic criteria for the site selection of solar power plants (SPPs). In this context, the suitability analysis for Denizli province is made using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methods. Based on the expert opinions and related literatüre research, appropriate site selection criteria for solar power plants are determined. In addition, spatial and non-spatial data belonging to the study area are transferred to the GIS environment and analysis studies related to the study area are carried out. According to the findings, it is concluded that totally 44,579 hectares of land are highly suitable for SPP installation, totally 619,595 hectares are moderately suitable and totally 530,922 hectares are not suitable in Denizli city.