Siting of large PV farms in Al-Batinah region of Oman

This paper presents the results of a research study conducted on solar energy resource assessment for Al-Batinah region in Oman. GIS-based spatial multi-criteria evaluation approach, in terms of the FLOWA module was used to assess the land suitability for large PV farms implementation in Oman. The tool used applies fuzzy quantifiers within ArcGIS environment allowing the integration of a multi-criteria decision analysis. Land suitability analysis for large PV farms implementation was carried out for the case study of Al-Batinah region in Oman. The highly suitable land areas exceeding 2.5km² of minimum surface were selected. Different PV technologies were considered for implementation in the selected areas. It was found that PV technologies provide very high technical potential for implementing large solar plants. In fact, if all highly suitable land is completely exploited for CPV implementation, it can produce almost 24.5 times the present total electric energy demand in Oman.