Solar energy is one of the most important components
of renewable energy, which constitutes an important source of clean energy in
many fields, especially water desalination and electricity generation. With the
increase in electricity consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at an annual
rate of 5%, the National Initiative for the
production of water and electricity was launched. The current study aims to apply a multi-standard
GIS method to determine the most appropriate spatial sites for solar
energy collection in the Makkah Administrative
District. A set of conditions and criteria have been relied upon, whether planning criteria, environmental criteria, or an environmental
criterion, to obtain a digital appropriate model that shows the best sites for
constructing solar power plants. The study
determined the required criteria by relying on literary studies and
creating a digital geographic database for these requirements, and then
integrating these requirements into an integrated geographic information system
in order to obtain a spatial fit model. The results of the suitability indicate
that all areas of Makkah Al-Mukarramah are suitable for the solar energy project with an appropriate percentage ranging
between 30% and 80%. These results are
promising for the renewable energy sector in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and
should be taken into consideration. By analyzing these spatial sites and their
degrees of suitability to standards, it was found that the lands that are characterized
by an adequate share of more than 80% have an area of about 4000 square
kilometers with a percentage of 3% of the total suitable lands. These highly
suitable areas are concentrated on the governorates
of the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Administrative Region, where the Taif
governorate comes in the first place with 35% of the total area, followed by the two governorates of Turbah with 24%,
and the Rania governorate with 14%. A digital map was made showing the
spatial distribution ofsuitable lands for solar energy projects in the Makkah
Al-Mukarramah Administrative Region.
The study recommended applying the obtained results in the national plan
for renewable energy sources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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