Optimal site selection for photovoltaic power plants using a GIS-based multi-criteria decision making and spatial overlay with electric load

Abstract The growing adoption of photovoltaic systems as a result of government incentives and the cost-effectiveness of the technology will bring significant environmental benefits and help countries meeting their international commitments in terms of renewables share. Nevertheless, an unsuitable site location could compromise its production and lead to a poor integration. An optimal location of photovoltaic systems must account for factors such as land use restrictions, orography, environmental, climatic limitations, and proximity to infrastructure. A key aspect that needs to be further researched is the influence of the electric demand requirement and its spatial distribution on the enhancement of photovoltaic integration. This paper proposes a novel approach to define optimal sites for photovoltaic plants, connected to the medium-voltage level, using a geographic information system based multi-criteria decision making and spatial overlay with electric load. The main feature of this work is the use of high-resolution information to spatially characterize the demand and make a density analysis. The performance of the proposed method is assessed in the service area of an Ecuadorian power utility. Scenarios considering solar potential and the massive penetration of a new type of load are assessed to define the photovoltaic sites that enhance the integration of renewable sources in the case study.