Solar energy is increasingly recognised as a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and is projected to experience significant growth in Scotland over the coming years. However, solar infrastructure remains vulnerable to climate-induced hazards, particularly flooding, which can disrupt energy generation and threaten national energy security. As such, it is critical that current and future solar development sites are evaluated regarding climate risk, ensuring that planning decisions are both sustainable and resilient. This study employs Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the flood risk of operational and planned solar energy installations over 1 MW across Scotland. Using spatial data on Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs), the study overlays solar site locations and applies buffer analyses to classify them into varying levels of flood risk. The findings indicate that 19 sites fall within the very high-risk category, 9 are classified as high risk, 10 as moderate risk, and 63 as low risk. Hotspot analysis further reveals a concentration of solar infrastructure along the Central Belt and the East Coast of Scotland. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of GIS-based spatial analysis in identifying vulnerabilities and informing climate-resilient energy planning. By revealing spatial trends and high-risk clusters, this research supports more informed site selection, risk mitigation strategies, and long-term sustainability of Scotland’s solar energy infrastructure in the face of a changing climate.

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Leveraging GIS-Based Flood Risk Mapping to Strengthen Climate Resilience in Scotland’s Critical Solar Energy Infrastructure

  • Kianda Avishana Kalloo,
  • Lina Khaddour,
  • Ismail Elhassnaoui

摘要

Solar energy is increasingly recognised as a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and is projected to experience significant growth in Scotland over the coming years. However, solar infrastructure remains vulnerable to climate-induced hazards, particularly flooding, which can disrupt energy generation and threaten national energy security. As such, it is critical that current and future solar development sites are evaluated regarding climate risk, ensuring that planning decisions are both sustainable and resilient. This study employs Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the flood risk of operational and planned solar energy installations over 1 MW across Scotland. Using spatial data on Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs), the study overlays solar site locations and applies buffer analyses to classify them into varying levels of flood risk. The findings indicate that 19 sites fall within the very high-risk category, 9 are classified as high risk, 10 as moderate risk, and 63 as low risk. Hotspot analysis further reveals a concentration of solar infrastructure along the Central Belt and the East Coast of Scotland. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of GIS-based spatial analysis in identifying vulnerabilities and informing climate-resilient energy planning. By revealing spatial trends and high-risk clusters, this research supports more informed site selection, risk mitigation strategies, and long-term sustainability of Scotland’s solar energy infrastructure in the face of a changing climate.