Delineating suitable zones for solar-based groundwater exploitation using multi-criteria analysis: A techno-economic assessment for meeting sustainable development goals (SDGs)

• Published in: Groundwater for sustainable development 2024-05, Vol.25, p.101087, Article 101087
• Main Authors: Saqr, Ahmed M., Nasr, Mahmoud, Fujii, Manabu, Yoshimura, Chihiro, Ibrahim, Mona G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: clean energy; climate; desalination; Egypt; El-Saloum depression; energy; groundwater; Groundwater thematic layers; landscapes; MCA-GIS integrated model; reverse osmosis; salinity; sanitation; Sensitivity analysis; solar collectors; Solar photovoltaic; stakeholders; Sustainability pillars; sustainable development; topography; vegetation; water management
• ISSN: 2352-801X; 2352-801X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101087

While several articles have focused on determining a suitability map for groundwater exploitation by assigning weights to different thematic layers, this technique suffers from a lack of worldwide application because it focuses on the features of a specific region (terrain features, vegetation, and climate) during the investigation. To overcome this drawback, we expanded the evaluation method of groundwater exploitation by integrating the region characteristics and topography with the three pillars of sustainability outlined by the SDGs agenda. Seven thematic layers, reflecting the economic and technical characteristics of El-Saloum depression, Egypt, were prepared to develop a solar energy-based groundwater suitability map. It was depicted that about 11.5%, 29.3%, and 44.0% of the total depression were classified into “Most’, “Moderate”, and “Marginal” suitable locations, respectively. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the southeastern zone of the depression emerged as the most suitable site for solar-groundwater utilization due to its low salinity (