The electricity production capacity of photovoltaic power plants and the selection of solar energy sites in Andalusia (Spain)

The privileged climate and orographic setting of southern Spain give Andalusia an enormous potential for the installation of photovoltaic power plants connected to electricity grids and also for individual use. These circumstances as well as the present energy crisis, largely stemming from the world's dependence on fossil fuels, justify this research study. This article describes how the GIS was used to inventory the most suitable land sites for the location of solar power plants for the production of electrical energy in compliance with the legal, environmental, and operational requisites for grid-connected photovoltaic power plants (GPPPs). On the basis of this inventory and the calculation of the global irradiation on horizontal surface, it is estimated that the electrical production capacity of GPPPs in Andalusia doubles the Special Regime electricity demand. The resulting electricity production capacity is estimated at 38,693 GWh/yr for 164,495.37 ha of land, which has no legal and/or environmental impediments to solar power installations.