Potential Analysis: Areas for Solar Use, Spremberg

Client: City of Spremberg | Grodk
Period: 2020
Dimension: 202 km²
Location: Spremberg | Grodk

The town of Spremberg | Grodk in Lower Lusatia intends to designate areas as “special construction areas for solar energy” in the future zoning plan (FNP). In the course of the energy transition, suitable areas for solar plants are to be integrated in addition to the existing concentration zones for wind energy. In preparation for this project, an area potential analysis was carried out for the entire urban area. The area around Spremberg | Grodk is characterised by its industrial character as a former open-cast lignite mining area (Welzow-Süd) and as a local recreation area for numerous outdoor activities – such as cycling or hiking. In the analysis, the qualities of the urban area had to be taken into account and already pre-exploited areas had to be favoured as potentials.

In a first step, a catalogue of criteria for the area potential analysis was developed in cooperation with the client. With the help of the categorisation into hard and soft restriction criteria, a comprehensive catalogue with about 40 criteria was created. These included topics such as protected areas, competing uses, spatial planning concerns and distances to sensitive areas. These criteria were combined in a GIS programme to form a thematic map and used as the basis for the restriction analysis. In a second step, the suitable areas for potential ground-mounted solar plants were identified and mapped. With the help of agreed weighting and requirements for the areas – for example, a minimum area size of 10 ha – priorities for potential ground-mounted solar installations could be identified and the most suitable areas determined.

FJP