Optimal site selection for solar power plants using multi-criteria evaluation: A case study from the Ayranci region in Karaman, Turkey

Currently, coal, oil and natural gas are mainly used for energy in most countries. These sources, called fossil fuels, are not renewable. Fossil fuels are limited, and their reserves are steadily decreasing. This situation causes the prices to rise constantly. On the contrary, renewable energy is clean, economical and unlimited. Turkey has a very high potential for renewable energy, and the Turkish government has made significant reforms for solar energy investments over the last decade. Site selection for solar power plants is a critical issue for large investments because of quality of terrain, local weathering factors, proximity to high transmission capacity lines, agricultural facilities and environmental conservation issues. Multi-criteria evaluation is a tool that allows one to choose the best criterion among multiple and offer a structure with a wide range of applications. In this paper, the ideal locations for solar power plant were selected using the geographic information system and analytic hierarchy process which is one of the multi-criteria evaluation methods. The resulting land suitability was grouped into three categories: low suitable, suitable and best suitable using an equal interval classification method. Consequently, 15,550 ha or 6.23% of the evaluated region was determined as the best suited areas for solar power plants.