Using GIS to evaluate solar farm site suitability in Rice County, MN

Abstract

As solar is becoming a more affordable and popular option for renewable energy, determining socially acceptable and economically viable locations for solar farms has become increasingly important. Several solar farm placement suitability analyses assign a higher suitability score for areas further away from human settlements, determining less-developed lands (e.g., shrubland, grassland, pasture, and cropland) to be more suitable for solar farm establishment. However, recent studies on land cover degradation have suggested that in our strive to meet environmental goals through renewable energy, solar development should limit its degradation of natural environments through placement in more developed areas. This solar farm suitability analysis is conducted for Rice County in Minnesota and adopts the suggestion of prioritizing open, developed lands. Yearly solar radiation, slope, aspect, land cover, proximity to powerlines, proximity to roads, distance from water bodies and protected areas, levels of land development, and property land use designation were used as criteria for the suitability analysis. A ranked suitability model was developed to identify suitable locations for solar farms. The model was further developed using ArcGIS Pro ModelBuilder so that any interested users can perform the suitability analysis in different locations using their own data and suitability score assignments. The model also outputs potential energy productions for areas selected by users as suitable solar farm sites.