Towards a fossil free energy production using GIS multicriteria decision-making support tool

Egypt's Sustainable Development Strategy: Vision 2030 calls for renewable energy plans and the adoption of a sustainable development approach. Given the government's gradual removal of energy subsidies for local citizens and the current energy crises, the study in hand aims to detect potential investment zones for free fossil fuel energy production. Site analysis for renewable energy allocation using GIS to identify potential capability to locate a renewable energy source was applied in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. The study used an accumulative co-relation matrix between different development sectors, Sinai's geographical location and promising future investment scenarios. A set of data analysis process was developed to examine potentials and constraints. The analysis revealed that 36% of the area is suitable for the development of solar farms and a further 4% for wind farms. These findings could help decision makers to fill the gap between the country's future energy needs and its available natural sources. Applying this methodology across the different areas offering similar potential in Egypt would help to identify more likely locations for renewable energy production. Wider replication of the method could also point to the significant contribution that different zones in Egypt, and even in other zones within the Middle East region, could make towards a more sustainable future.