Developing a multi- criteria model using GIS aimed to select the optimal location to build solar power plants in Madina region

Objectives: The main objective of this research is to develop model to determine the optimal site for establishing a solar energy plant in Medina, it also seeks to detect the most important influential criteria, and to apply the multi-criteria GIS method in determining the most appropriate sites for establishing a solar energy plant. This study has used the practical and analytical approach, and the analytical inductive approach by using the GIS software packages, on top of which is ARCGIS 10.8 program in entering the spatial data and creating a database. Approach: The study relayed on analytical and technical methods. The study was based on data obtainedfrom the government sources. Results: the result’s findings indicated that most of Medina regions are convenient for establishing a solar energy plant with different degrees of appropriateness. The most appropriate sites appeared within four scopes of importance, and it has been found that the area of the lands, which are characterized by a high appropriateness percentage, amounts to 292 km2 of the total area of study region with a percentage of 1.38%, then followed by the regions of medium appropriateness whose area amounts to 9190 km2 with a percentage of 43.51%, and that the majority of regions are localized in a degree of low appropriateness with an area which amounts to 11336 km2 and their appropriateness percentage amounts to 53.66%. In the last rank comes the regions of very low appropriateness percentage whose area is 350 km2, and their percentage amounts to 1.45% of the total lands of the study region.