Project Context & Client Need
An environmental consultancy required rapid, accurate baseline mapping and site suitability analysis for a proposed 500MW solar park. The goal was to identify optimal locations that maximized solar irradiance while strictly avoiding ecologically sensitive zones, agricultural land, and high-slope terrain.
Methodology & Data Sources
We employed a GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach. Datasets included:
- Global Solar Atlas data for Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI).
- SRTM 30m DEM for slope and aspect calculation.
- Sentinel-2 derived LULC to mask out water bodies, forests, and active agriculture.
- Proximity layers to existing transmission infrastructure and road networks.
Weights were assigned using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and processed in QGIS.
Deliverables
We delivered a highly detailed Suitability Index raster, vector polygons of the top 5 optimal sites, and a 20-page environmental baseline report ready for inclusion in the client’s official EIA submission.
Key Insight
By integrating environmental constraints early in the spatial model, we identified a 1,200-hectare contiguous tract of degraded wasteland near existing grid infrastructure, significantly reducing the client’s projected environmental mitigation costs.