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A GIS-Based Boolean Logic-Analytical Hierarchy Process for Solar Power Plant

(Case study: Erbil Governorate – Iraq)

Article in Environment Development and Sustainability · April 2021

DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-00862-3

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Type of the Paper (Article)

A GIS-Based Boolean Logic-Analytical Hierarchy

Process for Solar Power Plant (Case study: Erbil
Governorate – Iraq)
Gaylan Rasul Faqe Ibrahim 1, 2,*, Arieann Ali Hamid 2, Umkalthum Mustafa Darwesh 2 and Azad Rasul 1
1 Geography Department, Faculty of Arts, Soran University, Kurdistan Region, Soran 44008, Iraq;
[email protected] (A.R.)
2 Department of Geography, College of Human Sciences, University of Halabja, Halabja 46006, Iraq;

[email protected] (A.H.), [email protected] (U.D.)

* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +009-6475-0461-8417

Abstract: The remarkable increase in population and industrial development has brought priority
to the installation of solar power plants in developing countries. Solar power site selection is a
complicated task, which involves spatial assessment, driving environment, economic and
climatological factors. For different site selection studies Multi-criteria estimation was used. This
study utilized GIS and Boolean-AHP model to perform solar power site selection in Erbil
governorate. The study proposed three scenarios; economic weight scenario, environment weight
scenario and equal weight scenario. The final index model identifies four groups (unsuitable, low
suitable, moderately suitable and highly suitable). Consequently, the study identified 369
candidate sites to install the solar power farms, interestingly; about 85% of the candidate sites are
located in the southern and central part of the study area.

Keywords: Solar farms; multi-criteria analysis; Analytical hierarchy process; Erbil Governorate;
GIS

1. Introduction
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2018) indicated that the
population of the urban areas was anticipated to increase by %50 especially in developed countries,
and the trend of population growth is anticipated to continue [1]. In the last decades, many
researchers were concerned about environmental issues, principally in the urban areas due to their
effect on the ecosystem and the health of inhabitants [2], [3]. Demand for energy is increasing
dramatically due to enhancement in industrial action and living morals [4]. “Elliott David” (2007)
and Xiao et al. (2013) state that a series of the problems have faced humanity such as power crises,
global warming, and environmental damage. Many scientists believe that by seeking renewable
energy and reducing carbon emissions, we could decrease the intensity of these issues, as solar
power energy is a carbon-neutral and sustainable resource [5], [6]. Generally, energy sources can
be classified into three groups; fossil fuel energy (oil, gas…etc.), nuclear energy, and renewable
energy sources (solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass and hydrogen …etc.) [7], [8].
Renewable energy sources are widely recognized, not only because of inadequate supply of
fossil fuels, however, in addition, because of the environmental issues associated with the
consumption of fossil fuels [9]. Moreover, [5] indicated that one of the optimal alternatives is to
employ clear energy and develop energy efficiency to minimise the negative effects on climate
changes. Renewable energy is considered as an environmentally-friendly energy source and the

1
best way to reduce environmental impact of energy [10]. Thus, the world's agenda emphasizes
renewable energy systems in terms of both consistencies for the economy and its value to reduce
environmental problems [9].
Photovoltaic solar energy has been one of the fastest-growing techniques in the world.
European countries set a detailed plan for Europe's future clean energy policy that would allow
the Europe union to reach 20% by 2020 [11]. In 2012, U.S. solar power volume was increased by
more than 83% compared to the previous years. Meanwhile, from 2011 to 2015 China intended to
expand the established solar power volume from 2 GW to 35 GW [11]. Therefore, in 2011 the top
five solar energy generator countries were Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the U.S. with total
capacities of (24.8 GW), (12.8 GW), (4.9 GW), (4.5 GW) and (4 GW) respectively [12]. The solar
photovoltaic method is likely to deploy in substantial sites of the country with very high solar
radiations rates each year. One of the major barriers for the instalment of solar power farms is the
discrepancy and inconsistency of solar irradiation which is different from one place to another [13].
The objective (of what?) is to list the criterion that will impact the environment, economics and the
capability of the solar farm generation over time.
Iraq is one of the Middle East countries which faced the power grid and equipment shortage
during the last decades. Kurdistan Region of Iraq is also suffering from electricity shortage and
continuously increases in electricity demand. For instance, until 2017, the power supply availability
in most parts of the county did not exceed more than 12 hours a day [14]. Iraq has become
increasingly interested in clean energy, including solar energy similar to many other countries.
Muslim, (2019), indicated that Iraq proposed to generate solar power but failed due to the economic
crisis and political conflicts [15].
Global deserts alone merely in 2 hours could receive sunlight power more than all human
consumes per year. While the average solar generation capacity of the world is 170 W/m2,
according to the German Aerospace Center (DLR), deserts of Iraq alone have the capacity to
generate an average power of 270–290 W/m2. [16], [17]. Kurdistan had no renewable energy
facilities except for the two hydropower stations. The main source that provides 85% of the energy
in the Kurdistan region is fossil fuels. Its energy generated by petrol and natural gas, while the
remaining 15% is generated by hydro-power plants, leaving less than 1% of the energy provided
by solar power [18]. The concept of the clean energy principle for the Kurdish society requires
intensive education and moral support. Solar technology is an integral of a renewable energy
future and is a clean, renewable commercial power source. Kurdistan is geographically located in
a sunny belt and it is well located concerning solar power capacity geographically. According to
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Agro-meteorological stations, solar power potential
in Kurdistan is plentiful and well distributed, however, this abundant energy remains unnoticed
and unused [19].
When taking into account the geospatial issues such as renewable energy site selection, two
powerful tools are easily obtainable to the decision-makers, namely multi-criteria decision making
(MCDM) and geographical information systems (GIS) [13]. The best way to approach choosing an
alternative is by utilizing Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) [20]. This method in GIS is often
used to resolve many spatial planning and management issues, it has proven useful in numerous
energy planning projects [9]. GIS has become incredibly prevalent for different studies of site
selection, especially for energy planning [13]. [21] Developed a geographical information system
with MCDM to determine which land cover classes are associated with high winds and optima
solar site selection in Colorado. The evaluation of different sites for PV solar power plants have
been achieved from GIS and MCDM combinations [22]. Renewable energy is a popular area for
MCDA as it aids the decision making process, they are effective as they can differentiate between
the various factors at stake and the course of action required to avoid them [23]. GIS based MCDM

2
has been used by Sadeghi et al. (2012) to assess the best place in Chabahar area of Iran to build a
thermal power plant. GIS has also been proposed for deciding the optimal site for a Coal-powered
Power Plant based on aspects such as electric networks, roads, fuel supplies, and its required
landmass (Jiuping et al. 2015) [24]. Planning for renewable energy by applying this method has
been tested, [21], and [25] conducted literature reviews on this topic. An AHP literature survey
stated that the optimal options for power plant sites can be picked by evolved GIS techniques.
Furthermore, other researchers [6], [9], [26]–[33], [34]–[36], emphasize on a GIS-based MCDM
model with the AHP and Boolean-fuzzy logic to be utilized to identify a suitable site for solar farms.
This study aims to integrate Boolean-AHP with GIS for optima suitable solar farms site selection
in Erbil governorate.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study area

The governorate of Erbil is situated in the northern part of Kurdistan Region of Iraq, located
between latitudes 35° 30´ and 37° 15´ N, and longitudes 43° 22´ and 45° 05´ E [37], with an elevation
of 139 to 3607 m above sea level (Figure 1). The total of the study area is coverage about 14600 km 2;
it is divided into seven districts (Erbil, Makhmur, Koyasnjaq, Shaqlawa, Soran, Mergasur and
Choman). The number of inhabitants of the governorate is 2,162,509 according to the latest census
in 2018. The area is characterized as semi-arid, the kind of BSsh conferring to Koppen classification
[38]. The summer season is hot and dry, while the winters are cold and wet. Rainfall is inadequate
to the period between October and November, averaging 543 mm annually and about 41% and
59% is shaped by arable and non-arable lands respectively [39]. The study area was selected due
to dependence on fossil fuels as its main source of energy; the plan is to construct wind and solar
power plant alternatives to meet the present-day demands. The topography of study area is
convoluted and compound consists of mountains, hills and plains, it is surrounded by the meeting
of Tigris and Little Zab rivers in the south, whereas the Zagros Mountain range forms the
northeastern border.

Figure1: Map of the study area

3
2.2. Site selection criteria and data acquisition
Solar power settings require a comprehensive assessment process to identify the best possible
location. This site selection has conformed to the demands of the government guidelines while
minimizing economic, environmental and social problems [40], [41]. When selecting a suitable site
for a solar power plant, multi-criteria should be taken into account. Besides the technical
considerations of solar cells, a suitable location should be selected to ensure the best performances
of PV modules [42]. The appropriate value of each criterion can contribute to promoting the
accuracy of site selection decisions and thereby avoiding waste of valuable resources including
land and financial resources. The demarcated criteria for this study are (a) environmental (b) socio-
economic and (c) climatology criteria, which are useful for site selection decision making. [11], [43]
mentioned some criteria to be considered which are urban centres, land use, roads, slope and
power line. The present study selects twelve sub-criteria to examine and calculate the overall
suitability of each location based on literature reviews and experts’ knowledge.
The essential data were gathered from various sources such as previous studies, field
works and image satellite. Digital elevation model (DEM) was used to extract slope and elevation
maps, which were collected from the United States geological survey (USGS) website with 30*30m
resolution. Other data were digitized and converted to raster and vector formats, as mentioned in
Table 2. Climatic data (e.g. temperature, cloud cover and sunshine) from 2000 to 2015 obtained
from meteorological stations. ArcGIS 10.6 software was adapted for the process of conversion and
digitising data.
The study goal is to propose an estimation of optimal locations for solar power farms in
the Erbil Governorate. Flowchart (Figure 1) indicated a process model for this study. The proposed
model for this study is divided into two steps. Firstly, a restriction model using Boolean logic to
exclude unsuitable areas. Secondly, AHP method as a recognized MCDE method to optima
suitability site for solar power farms.

2.2.1. Restriction model

This step is one of the significant phases to eliminate the restrictions. In this case, the sites with
some constraints for solar power farms construction have been removed from the estimation
process by using Boolean methods depending on the information shown in Table 2. The simplest
method to associate layers in GIS is the Boolean logic method. This is a zero-one method. Final
model result is a map divided into two classes (0, 1) which is a binary map from which we can
indicate if each site is suitable or not, depending on each site’s pixel value. Ultimately, layers are
formed according to the Boolean model, AND operator is utilised to combine all layers to excerpt
the final potential locations [31], [44].

2.2.2. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP)

Different methods were employed to develop a process for selecting a solar power plant. The
decision-making process is designed to distinguish and select a solution that considers different
factors and additionally address the anticipations of planners [45]. Decision-makers and analytical
hierarchy process adapted MCDM to assess subjective and conflicting criteria [46]. AHP is an
MCDM mathematical method and becomes a commonly used MCE technique [43], [47], which is
developed by Saaty (1980) [48]. The approach is widely used in aggregation with geographical
information systems (GIS). GIS-MDCM process was performed by [25], which concluded the AHP
process as a way of comparing several rows and columns by the number of criteria [49]. Pairwise
comparison is the elementary measurement process used in the AHP [47], which allows each

4
 criterion to have a particular weight [8]. The AHP’s pairwise matrix can be subjective in comparing
decisions as it is based on opinions of experts. The weighting assignments of different criteria can,
therefore, be altered according to the expert's perception. The comparison scores and factors
argued with specialists and pairwise comparisons (Table 4). All weighted criteria in this study
utilised the AHP method aggregated with overlay analysis employed by ArcGIS tools for suitable
places selection. All weighted criteria in this study utilised the AHP method aggregated with
overlay analysis employed by ArcGIS tools for suitable places selection. GIS-based MCEM
offered a compilation of intelligent spatial analysis techniques to solve decision-making problems
which enabled information to be collected from various sources [50].

Assessment of Pairwise
Faults criteria weights Comparison
(AHP)
Rivers
Weighted Developing
Environmental Overlay GIS suitability
Slope Model
Criteria
Elevation
Multi-criteria
evaluation (MCE)
Solar Power

Protect area
Plant

Suitability model

Transmission
line
Buffering
Roads
Most Suitability
Economic Union Solar Power Map
Airport &
Criteria
Military
Feature to
Urban areas Raster
Rural areas Raster
Calculate Restrictions
Oil & Gas model

Figure 2: Flowchart for generation most suitability solar power site selection

This study identifies four key steps to select optimal sites for solar power farm. The first
overlay method is employed considering different restrictions and limitations to exclude
unsuitable areas. The second is a pairwise comparison, which provides relative weight to each
parameter without requiring estimating all factors simultaneously. The third step uses an
analytical method to assess each criterion's comparative value and priority weight. The final step
uses a weighted sum overlay technique in ArcGIS spatial analysis tool to conclude the overall
estimation of the candidate location. This method consists of overlapping multi-criteria to an

5
integrated analysis, taking into account input basic criteria and comparative weight derived from
the AHP technique (Figure 2).

Table.1 Saaty Scale (Saaty, 2008).

Importance Definition
intensity
1 Equally importance
3 Moderate importance
5 Strongly more importance
7 Very strong more
9 importance
2,4,6,8 Extremely importance
Intermediate values

2.2.3. Environmental criteria

1. Distance to rivers:
Erbil governorate is within the reach of several rivers and some basins. To safeguard the
water resource from pollution, solar power farms should not be placed near the water resources.
[41] considered an 800m distance buffer zone appropriate in order to evade water pollution,
whereas [2] believed that the 600m distance buffer zone is appropriate to ensure the safety of water
resources from contamination. Besides, [29] believed that a 500m buffer is suitable for establishing
solar power farms. The study considered a buffer zone of 500-2000m from rivers (Figure 3j).
2. Distance to faults:
The distance to faults is a factor that should be taken into account when selecting suitable
sites for solar power plant sites (SPPS). A site closer to a fault line is prone to a higher risk of an
earthquake and consequent damage. It may pose potential or actual threats to the project activities
and thus it must be taken into consideration. Hence, the areas near faults were performed as good
electrodes for any contamination agents. In the study <500m buffer excluded, 600, 800, 1000, 1200
and >1200m buffer zones were created respectively (Figure 3g).

3. Distance to Natural Reserves:

Erbil governorate covers more than 1100km 2 of the natural protected area, includes Halgurd
Sakran and Mergasur protect the area. They are located in the northern part of the study area. The
study in addition considered < 200m restriction while 400-1000m buffer zones were created (Figure
3b).
4.Slope and Altitude:
Slope and elevation are other main criteria for the installation of solar power farms [51], [5523].
Sites with high elevation or high slope are inappropriate for solar power. The optimal places for
solar energy are sites with medium altitude and with less than 5% slope [53]. The slope and altitude
are an important criterion due to the fact that very steep slopes are regarded as a higher
constructing cost. Similarly, lower places will minimise cost [54]. Ordinarily, open flat sites are the
optimal sites for solar PV projects for more coverage of the sunlight [55]. Digital elevation model
(DEM) was developed to generate a slope map obtained from the USGS website. The resolution of
30*30m with aid GIS tool was used to create a slope map in per cent. The study areas classified into
five classes (Figure 3d).

6
 Figure.3 Criteria weights of the three scenarios in the study area.

2.2.4. Socio-economic criteria:

1. Distance to transmission lines:
Transmission lines are a significant economic criterion to identify solar power site selection
and should be considered, principally to minimise the cost of power supplied to users [56].
Currently, solar generations have utilised high-solar sites that are close to suitable power line
capacity and low power costs. If there are no transmission lines on solar power sites, new power
lines will require to be established, which will enhance the cost of solar power plants. In the study,
for proximity from power lines <500m was restricted and additionally 500-800, 800–1000, 1000–
3,000 and >3,000m buffer region was scored as 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Distance from
transmission lines is a sub-criteria, thus the score of 5 is preferred (Figure 2.l, and Table 2).
2. Distance to roads:
Roads are essential criteria that should be taken into account when constructing a solar power
plant since closer distances to transport networks and roads correspond to lower costs. There are
many studies that suggest as small a buffer distance as possible [29], [57], [58], however, there is
not a commonly valid depiction of the minimum and maximum distance to the roads from solar
energy. The previous study briefly mentioned the distances from the transport networks and roads.
In this study, the data for proximity to roads were divided into five levels, 150m buffer represented
a restricted area and in addition 150-300, 300-400,400-500,500-600 and >600m buffer scored as 1, 2,
3 and 4 respectively.
3. Distance to airport and military areas:
This is one of the essential criteria in the siting of solar power plants. Different studies
suggested different buffer zone distances, [30], [59], [60]10000, 5000, 500, 3000 and 15000 meters
were the buffered distance to an airport. 500m and 200m buffer zones are excluded for the airport

7
and military areas respectively. Various distances from 500-1000, 1000-1400, 1400-1600, 1600-2000m
buffer zones scored as 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively.
4. Distance to urban and rural areas:
The social implications of solar power including the urban area and rural area are usually
considered as very significant restrictions. Constricting renewable energy farm closer to urban
centres and rural area have an effect on environmental issues [43], and for solar sites, a 500m
distance to residential areas selected to ensure their environmental protection. [8]. Accordingly, to
minimize the delivery cost and performing energy, short distances to residential areas are quite
significant [29]. In this study, a 500m buffer zone was excluded for both urban and rural areas,
while the data for proximity to the urban area was divided into four levels, 500-2000, 2000-
5000,5000-10000,10000-20000, 20000-30000 and >30000m buffers were scored as 1,2,3,4 and 5
respectively. In addition, a 200m buffer zone was restricted for rural areas and different distance
buffer zones from 400-600, 600-800, 800-1000, >1000m were scored as 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively.
5. Distance to oil and gas fields:
Oil and gas fields are one of the other criteria that should be taken into account to establish a
solar power plant. In the study area, oil and gas are one of the main economic sources which they
make up about 95% of the KRG economy. In this study, a 500m buffer zone was excluded for oil
and gas fields while various distances from 500-1000, 1000-1500, 1500-2000, 2000-3000 and >3000m
buffer zones were scored as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively.

A – Environmental criteria B – Economic criteria

# Criteria Buffer (meter) Rating # Criteria Buffer (meter) Rating
1 Faults ≤ 500 Restriction 7 Transmission line 0 – 500 Restriction
501 – 600 1 501 – 800 1
600 – 800 2 801 – 1000 2
800 – 1000 3 1001 – 2000 3
1000 – 1200 4 2001 - 3000 4
>12000 5 >3000 5
2 Natural Reserves ≤ 200 Restriction 8 Roads 0 - 150 Restriction
201 – 400 1 150 – 300 4
401 – 500 2 300 – 400 5
501 – 600 3 400 – 500 3
601 – 1000 4 500 – 600 2
>1000 5 >600 1
3 Rivers ≤ 500 Restriction 9 Airport and 0 – 500 Restriction

501 – 1000 1 Military area 501 – 1000 1

1001 – 1400 2 1001 – 1400 2
1401 – 1600 3 1401 – 1600 3
1601 – 2000 4 1601 – 2000 4
> 2000 5 >2000 5
4 Slope < 5% 1 10 Urban areas 0 – 500 Restriction
5.1% – 8% 2 500 – 2000 2
8.1% – 15% 3 2001 – 5000 4
15.1% – 30% 4 5001 – 10000 5
>30% 5 10001 – 20000 3
>20000 1
5 ≤ 300 1 11 Villages 0 – 200 Restriction
>300 – 500 2 200 – 400 1
Elevation >500 – 800 3 401 – 600 2
>800 – 1200 4 601 – 800 3
>1200 5 801 – 1000 4
> 1000 5
12 Oil & Gas Fields 0 – 500 Restriction
500 – 1000 1
1000 – 1500 2
1500 – 2000 3
2000 – 3000 4
>3000 5
Table 2: Criteria used in the solar power selection model

8
2.2.5. Climatological criteria:
To evaluate solar power farms, multi-criteria should be considered, principally climatic
factors including average annual temperatures, air pollution, humidity, cloudy season and
sunshine hours. Among the key factors in assessing whether a certain site is a good photovoltaic
candidate or not is that plenty of sunlight is obtainable throughout the year [55], [61]. The main
parameters in the forecast performance of renewable energy systems are total daily solar radiation,
mostly for the application of photovoltaic systems, which has a significant role in the extracted
energy rate from the sun [11], [13], [62]. In addition, rainfall properties like rainy and snowy days
demonstrate the quantity of specific atmospheric matters. The sites with high precipitation absorb
shortwave radiation [29]. Furthermore, the efficient factor is the set of sunny hours. This criterion
is the major parameter for the rate of energy obtainable from the sun, which is calculated by specific
tools [8].

Table 3: Criteria weights of the three scenarios

Scenarios
# Environmental Economic
Criteria Equal (%)
(%) (%)
1 Natural reserve 15 5 8.3333
2 Sunshine 11 6 8.3333
3 Faults 9 4 8.3333
4 Rivers 13 7 8.3333
5 Elevation 8 6 8.3333
6 Slope 9 7 8.3333
Sub - total 65 35 50
7 Urban centers 5 17 7.143
8 Roads 6 12 7.143
9 Airport 5 10 7.143
10 Rural 6 7 7.143
11 Oil fields 4 5 7.143
12
5 6 7.143
Military
Transmission
4 8 7.143
line 13
Sub - total 35 65 50
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0

9
3. Results and Discussion
This study observes methods for detecting the best site for the constructing of solar power
farms. GIS-MCDM was used in aggregation with Boolean logic-based overlay analysis to
distinguish the optima suitable solar power farm site selection in Erbil governorate. After forming
database sites that are inappropriate for site selection, they were recognized as exclusionary sites
based on previous studies and knowledge of local situations. The study focused on 13 criteria such
as urban areas, rural areas, roads, rivers, military bases, airports, transmission lines, faults,
elevation, slope, oil and sunshine designated as constraint factors. These factor restrictions are
usually used in similar studies. The study employed the Boolean method to restrict layers which
are combined into one layer as allocated into a binary scale 0 not proper for the development of the
project and 1 proper for the development of the project of solar power farms. Figure 4 demonstrates
enormous sites of the North West and centre, which was excluded in this study. The total areas are
unsuitable for the installation of solar power farms comprise about 34%, using various distance
buffer zone restriction for all criteria except for the slope and elevation criteria as shown in Table
(2) and Figure (4). The study slopes were classified into five ranges as shown in Figure (2 d), the
high slope areas are not suitable for construction of solar farms due to they considered costly
according to several previous studies [8], [23], [48]. The study ignored the slopes higher than 5% to
develop solar power farms.

Figure 4: illustrate the restricted zones map

10
 Figure (5) depends on knowledge from Table (3) for fixing and converting layers to raster format.
The outcomes that have been achieved depending on the relative weights considered with a pairwise
comparison matrix in the AHP considering minimum negative impact on resident area and
preserving the environment. This AHP-MCDM technique is commonly used to compute the final
grading values for several problem parameters. The suitability map demonstrates the results of the
study that were computed into three scenarios; environmental, economic and equal scenarios. In
addition, each of them was grouped into four classes such as (unsuitable, low suitable, moderately
suitable, and highly suitable. The figure demonstrates the outcome of the environmental scenario
which indicated that high suitable sites occupy 258km (2%), moderately suitable 1881km (13%), low
suitability area cover 7140km (49%) and 5249km (36%) of the study area has been identified as
unsuitable. The highly suitable areas are located in the Makhmur district, Erbil Plains and Erbil
district towards the south of the study area, while the unsuitable sites were located in the Soran and
Choman districts in the northern part of the study area due to the high slope and the protected areas
that are located in this part of Erbil. In addition, the economic weight scenario indicated that highly
suitable sites occupy 140km (1%), moderate suitability 6412km (44%), low suitability areas cover
2799km (19%) and 5249km (36%) of the study area is unsuitable. The result demonstrated that high
suitable sites appeared in different zones such as Koya, Erbil Plain, Erbil, Makhmur and some places
in the Khabat districts. The plain areas displayed high suitability, especially most of the land located
in the closer Erbil areas and Makhmur. The result of the last scenario, equal weight scenario,
highlighted that highly suitable sites occupy 157km (1%), moderate suitability 4982km (34%), low
suitability area covers 4230km (29%) and 5249km (36%) of the study area is unsuitable. The highly
suitable areas are located in the Makhmur and Shaqlawa districts due to both of them obtaining the
highest sunshine rate while the low suitability areas appeared in mountainous area in the north part
of the study area.
The outcome from this paper is consistent with findings of [6], [8], [29], [30], [33], [35], [39], [49],
[63] they have installed suitability maps by choosing multi-criteria for different areas as it is improper
to utilize the same parameter for different regions due to each areas has its own exceptional features.
The research result indicated that, adapting solar power energy will have many positive outcomes,
economically and environmentally. Compared to other energy sources, solar power has least harmful
effect on the environment. Energy from the sun is highly sustainable and clean; devoid of emissions
that will potentially create pollution. However, materials used to achieve power from the sun can be
hazardous and pose health threats if not disposed of properly. Conveniently enough the material is
rare and expensive, therefore manufacturers are obligated to recycle for financial benefits. Lack of
government provides electricity in the study area has brought about the need for an alternative
energy source. This makes it the perfect opportunity to consider solar power farms.
 2 of 16

Figure 5: suitable sites for solar power farms of Environmental, Socio-Economic and Equal Scenarios

Subsequently, for determining the most suitable site for solar power, the study excludes the best
candidate place of the three scenarios using GIS spatial analysis tools (Figure 6). The result concludes
equal scenario is quite reasonable for solar power installation, reflected by the availability of
developed characteristics such as urban areas, density of road and transmission line which minimizes
the transmission cost and energy providing to citizens. In addition, most of the candidate sites were
located in the southern and central parts of the study area.

The spatial distribution of the best candidate location according to districts is illustrated in
Figure (6). As a result, the vast candidate areas (74%, 10%, 4%,8% and 2%) is located in the Makhmur
area, Erbil Plains, Khabat district and Koya respectability while only (2%) is located in the mountain
areas in the Shaqlawa district Figure (6). The total candidate locations are 369 sites which are different
in size, nearly 194 sites (53% ) of solar power land candidate cover the ranges of 400000- 600000 square
meters while 19 sites (5%) covered the range > 7000000 square meters (Table 4).
While dust criterion is efficiency influence the generated power by solar panels, due to lack of
dust data in the study area it included indirectly in the sunshine criteria. It could be one limitation of
the current study and we suggest that it is better to dust criterion be included in the coming research.
 3 of 16

Figure 6 Spatial distributions of Solar Power Plants

Table 4: Classification of candidate

Areas (m2) Number %

>7,000,000 of sites
19 5
>2,000,000 – 41 11
7,000,000
>1,000,000 – 29 8
2,000,000
>600,000 – 39 10
1,000,000
400,000 – 194 53
600,000
<400,000 47 13
total 369 100.0

4. Conclusions
With urbanization and economic growth, the world demands and domestic requirements of
Kurdistan Region, there is a cumulative dependence on the extensive usage of fossil fuels. Energy
reserves are quite expensive in Erbil as well as the fact that energy supplies continue becoming more
unstable and costly in the study area. To reduce petroleum consumption and achieve sustainable
development, it is essential to install renewable energy sources. The Study employed AHP-MCDM
 4 of 16

and GIS tool to fix the optima sites for solar power farms in Erbil Governorate in Kurdistan. This
study was developed to use effective spatial factors such as economic, environmental and
climatological parameters. Three scenarios were suggested by the study; climate weight scenario,
environment weight scenario and economic weight scenario. The four groups: unsuitable, low
suitability, moderately suitable and highly suitable were separated by the final index model. The
study managed to indicate 369 sites as appropriate solar power farm candidates. The southern and
central parts of the study area were the most abundant in candidate sites, including about 85% of
them.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, Gaylan R. Faqe Ibrahim; Data curation, Gaylan R. Faqe Ibrahim;
Formal analysis, Gaylan R. Faqe Ibrahim; Methodology, Gaylan R. Faqe Ibrahim; Software, Gaylan R. Faqe
Ibrahim; Validation, Gaylan R. Faqe Ibrahim; Visualization, Gaylan R. Faqe Ibrahim; Writing – original draft,
Gaylan R. Faqe Ibrahim and Azad Rasul; Writing – review & editing, Arieann Ali Hamid, Umkalthum Mustafa
Darwesh and Azad Rasul.

Funding: This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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