Geographic Information System (GIS) Based Feasibility Study for Wind and Solar Farms - A Case Study of Songkhla Province, Thailand

Abstract

The study reported in this study focuses on finding suitable sites for wind and solar farms in Songkhla Province, Thailand. Geographic Information System (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) were used combinedly to examine three main siting criteria, i.e. physiographic, environmental and economic criteria. The secondary data were obtained from online portals and government organizations. In addition, the Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) solar map for Songkhla province was obtained from Solargis map for Thailand at a resolution of 1km/pixel. Wind resource map for Songkhla province on 100 m above ground level having a resolution of 200 m was previously available in the study area. AHP based weights for this study identifies that climate is the most dominant criterion for wind and solar energy applications. The results of the study indicate that Songkhla has a potential land area of up to 66.11 km2 and 844.93 km2 for wind and solar farms respectively, however, only areas of 38.74 km2 and 69.50 km2 were judged as being "highly suitable" for wind and solar farms respectively. Ranot district hosts most of those highly suitable areas. The results of this study provide a significant starting point for stakeholders who are interested in investing in renewable energy in Southern Thailand.