Land Suitability Mapping for Large-Scale Solar PV Farms in Tunisia Using GIS-Based MCDM Approach

Considering the multiple and conflicting factors involved in site selection, determining ideal locations is of the utmost importance before installing solar photovoltaic farms on a large scale. Relying on extensive data, particularly from the geographical information system (GIS), provides numerous advantages, including improved project performance, reduced power losses, and minimized environmental impact. Accordingly, this study primarily focuses on identifying the most suitable locations for developing large-scale solar PV farms in Tunisia using a GIS in combination with a Fuzzy analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP). The proposed approach considers a variety of economically and technically relevant factors, which are ranked using the fuzzy AHP technique. According to the computed spatial analysis, the land suitability was classified into five categories: “most suitable”, “suitable”, “moderately suitable”, “least suitable”, and “unsuitable”. The findings revealed that the “most suitable” sites covered
$\mathbf{1571.7}\ \mathbf{km}^{\mathbf{2}}$
, representing 1.11% of the total land area. These sites were mainly distributed across the central and southern regions of the country, namely Tataouine, Gabès, Gafsa, and Kassérine, which comprised 74.65% of those sites. Even if only 10
^%
of the “most suitable” locations were considered, there could be a potential for electricity generation of 32,803 GWh per year, which is 1.65 times greater than the energy demand in Tunisia in 2021.