**Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment**

**Draft User Guide for SWERA Geospatial Toolkit (GsT)**

**Introduction**

Wind and solar energy are the fastest growing energy sources in the
world because they are clean and renewable. Renewable energy sources are
projected to balance the world's energy demands in the face of dwindling
conventional fossil energy resources. The Solar and Wind Energy Resource
Assessment (SWERA) Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) is a map-based software
application that can be used for decision making and policy analysis in
addition to planning for future wind energy projects. The SWERA
application utilizes Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to develop
common scenarios to evaluate potential locations for solar or wind
energy plants. The GsT has been tested and developed for use on the
Windows 2000 and XP operating systems.

This document is intended to assist new SWERA GsT users with the
program's functionality. Additional information on solar and wind
resource assessment data utilized in the toolkit can be obtained from
the SWERA web site at [http://swera.unep.net](http://swera.unep.net/).

**How to Use This Documentation**

This document is intended to help a new user of the GsT get started.
This document will walk the user through initial steps and how to
execute the standard queries and produce visual and tabular results.
Screenshots of the program are included to demonstrate the content. The
numbered labels on some of the screenshots help to explain the steps
described in that section.

**Starting the SWERA Geospatial Toolkit**

1.  Click the Start button on windows taskbar.

2.  Select Programs.

3.  Select SWERA GST (name may be different if you did not use the
    installation defaults).

4.  Click SWERA_GST (name may be different if you did not use the
    installation defaults).

> ![](media/image1.png){width="4.905555555555556in"
> height="1.7395833333333333in"}

###### Load the Application

When the application starts, an initial screen showing the SWERA project
countries is displayed. Click anywhere on this screen to load the
application.

> ![](media/image2.png){width="3.113888888888889in" height="2.40625in"}

The initial interface appears as shown in Figure 3. The text in the left
hand frame gives a general overview of initial data loading and query
analysis procedures.

> ![](media/image3.png){width="5.457638888888889in"
> height="3.3430555555555554in"}

**Load Data**

This version of the GsT assumes that all files used for analysis are
stored in a single folder on the local machine or on a network drive.
The user can browse to this folder and load all the files available in
that folder. If the files needed to run a query have not been loaded,
the user will not be able to run the queries that need that data layer.

1.  Click on the ***File*** menu to display all drop down sub menus, as
    shown in Figure 4.

2.  Click on the ***Open Dataset*** menu item.

> ![](media/image4.png){width="2.65625in" height="2.8534722222222224in"}

![](media/image5.png){width="5.332638888888889in"
height="3.9055555555555554in"}

3.  Browse to the folder containing data layer files and select any one
    of the files by clicking on the file name, as shown in Figure 5

4.  Click ***Open*** to load all the files available in that folder to
    the Map View.

Figure 6 shows the initial map view after loading the data.

> ![](media/image6.png){width="5.988888888888889in"
> height="3.4993055555555554in"}

**User Interface**

This section of the document provides a brief explanation of all user
interface components that the user will be using throughout this
application. The numbers shown on the figure correspond to each section
explained below.

![](media/image7.png){width="5.997916666666667in"
height="4.213888888888889in"}

1.  **Open Dataset**

> Refer 'Load Data' section above to see the explanation of this menu
> item.

2.  **Save Result**

The ***Save Result*** menu can be used to save the result of the query
as a polygon

shapefile. This is normally a time consuming process. So, if the result
set have

more than 50 features, then the user will be prompted to confirm whether
to go

ahead with this operation. Now click 'Yes' to go ahead with the save
operation.

This will open windows 'Save As' dialog box. Now browse to the directory
where

the output file has to be saved and enter the output file name. Then
click 'Save'

button to save the result. Resulting shapefile will have an attribute
field that list

the wind power density/solar resource value corresponding to each
feature.

3.  **Print**

> The Print menu helps the user to print the map and get a hard copy
> output. Click on this menu button to open a layout window. The layout
> window shows how the map, title, scalebar, and legend will be laid out
> on the printed map. Click on the 'Print' button to send the output to
> the default printer. In order send the map to a specific printer, use
> Printer's properties and set that printer as default.

4.  **Select Query**

> This is a drop-down list box showing all pre-defined queries used in
> this application. Each query listed here is discussed in detail in the
> query analysis section of this document.

5.  **Edit Map**

> This option allows the user to choose a query. The user will then see
> a screen specific to that query. In other words, the ***Query
> Parameters*** will change depending on the type of query selected. .

6.  **Show Map Legend**

> Select this option to view the legend associated with the map. All of
> the layers available to the user will be displayed.
>
> ![](media/image8.png){width="4.665972222222222in"
> height="3.520138888888889in"}
>
> The check box at the left of the layer name indicates whether the
> layer is visible (checked) or not (unchecked). Toggle this check box
> on/off to control the visibility of any layer on the map.
>
> The order of layers listed in the legend indicates the order of layers
> on the map. This means the top layer in the legend list will be the
> top layer on the map. The user can interactively change the order of
> layers. To do this, click the layer name. While holding the left mouse
> button down, drag the layer up or down the layer list and place it in
> the desired position. The map will automatically refresh to reflect
> the new layer order.
>
> The small arrow heads seen on the top right and bottom right of the
> legend frame can be used to scroll up and down the legend list. The
> filled arrow is equivalent to a page down or page up, and the hollow
> arrow scrolls line by line.

7.  **Query Parameters**

> All the parameters that are needed for the selected analysis will be
> listed here. Default settings are provided, but the users can modify
> the query parameters to reflect their analysis needs. The output of
> any analysis is based on the parameters selected or set here, so care
> must be taken to choose realistic combinations of query parameters.
> The Query Analysis section of this document will explain each query
> parameter used in the available analysis options.

8.  **Update Map**

> The ***Update Map*** button is used to execute the query with the
> query parameters chosen. While the query is processing, the button
> will change to a ***Cancel*** button, allowing the user to cancel the
> query if they so choose. Upon successful completion, the resulting
> analysis will be drawn on the map.

9.  **Results Table**

> The ***Results Table*** button is used to display an area summary of
> the analysis results in a tabular format. Initially this button is
> hidden from the user, and will become visible only after the
> successful completion of an analysis. Click on this button to see the
> result of the last query.

10. **Layers Currently Displayed**

> All currently visible layers on the map will be listed here. This
> additional information shows the visibility status of a layer without
> selecting the ***Show Map legend*** option.

11. **Change Layers**

> This ***Change Layers*** button is used to change the visibility
> status of a layer while the application is in ***Edit Map*** mode.

1.  Click on this button to pop up a layer list form.

2.  Toggle on/off the check box on left side of a layer to control its
    visibility.

> ![](media/image9.png){width="5.165972222222222in"
> height="4.051388888888889in"}

3.  Click the ***Update Map*** button on the layer list form to update
    the layers currently displayed.

4.  The ***Cancel*** button will close the layer list form and leave the
    status of the layers unchanged.

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```
12. **Back to Original Map**

> Original map is the extent of the map that is visible after the
> initial loading of data. Usually this is set to the full extent of the
> country or the study area. During panning or zooming, the extent of
> the map visible on the screen will change. This button will allow the
> user to bring the map back to its original extent. This button is
> hidden when the map is at the full extent.

13. **Pan**

> This is an interactive tool that can be used to pan or move the map in
> any direction. To use this tool:

1.  Select the ***Pan*** option. (Note: The cursor will turn into a hand
    symbol.)

2.  Then click on the map, hold down the mouse button, and drag the
    mouse in any direction. The map will be panned in the indicated
    direction.

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```
14. **Zoom**

> This is an interactive tool that can be used to zoom in or zoom out of
> the map view.
>
> To use this tool to zoom in:

1.  Select the ***Zoom*** option. (Note: The cursor will turn into a
    magnifying glass symbol.)

2.  Then click on the map using left mouse button. This approach uses a
    fixed scale factor of 200% to zoom in to the map. The map will be
    centered at the mouse click location.

> Note: If the user wants to zoom to a specific area on the map, keep
> the left or right mouse button down and drag a box around the area.
> Now the map will zoom to the envelope selected by the user.
>
> To use this tool to zoom out:

1.  Select the ***Zoom*** option. (Note: The cursor will turn into a
    magnifying glass symbol.)

2.  Click on the map using right mouse button. This approach uses a
    fixed scale factor of 50% to zoom out of the map. The map will be
    centered at the mouse click location.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
15. **Info**

> Sometimes it is useful for the user to see the attribute values
> related to the map layers used in their analysis. To do this,

1.  Select the ***Info*** option. (Note: The cursor will turn into a
    Help symbol.)

2.  Then click on any feature on a layer to list its attribute values.
    The attributes of features from all visible layers that are within a
    predefined tolerance limit will be listed in a new window. Because
    of this, it is easier to list feature attributes from polygon layers
    as compared to line or point layers. In order to get the attributes
    of any line or point layer, users will have to click as close as
    possible to the feature of interest. Attributes are listed on a new
    pop up form by layer name. Figure 10 shows sample output from the
    ***Info*** function.

> ![](media/image10.png){width="4.749305555555556in"
> height="3.6868055555555554in"}

16. **Zoom In command (+)**

> Instead of using the ***Zoom*** option described previously, the user
> can click directly on the zoom in button (button with plus "+" sign).
> This will zoom in to the center of the map with a fixed scale factor
> of 200%.

17. **Map Scale**

> The value displayed on the scale bar indicates the scale of the map.
> the map scale changes during zoom in or zoom out operation.

18. **Zoom Out command (-)**

> Instead of using the ***Zoom*** option described previously, the user
> can click directly on the Zoom Out button (button with minus "-"sign).
> This will zoom out of the center the map with a fixed scale factor of
> 50%.

**Wind and Solar Energy Analysis Queries**

This part of the document guides the user through the potential queries
to better understand how the GsT can be used. The best way to become
familiar with any software application is by using it; we encourage you
to play around with the parameters presented in each query.

**Query Analysis**

Seven specific queries can be used to identify the possible locations to
harness wind or solar energy. Each of these queries is described here
separately. The units used in this application are Watts/meter^2^
(W/m^2^) for wind power density and kiloWatt-hour/m^2^/day
(kWh/m^2^/day) for solar energy. Some of the queries performed on data
layers that have large amount of data make take several minutes to
complete the analysis. In such situations user will be given a warning
before proceeding with the query analysis. Now the user has the option
to either abort or continue with the query.

**Query 1: No Query (Base Map)**

This is the default option in the query list. When the user conducts an
analysis the map gets updated with the query results. Selecting this
option from the query list and clicking on the ***Update Map*** button
will reset the map view, remove any layers generated from the previous
analysis, and display the base map layers.

**Query 2: Wind by Power Density**

Wind energy is generally expressed in terms of wind power classes that
range from 1 (the least) to 7 (the highest). Wind power classes are
based on the average \"wind power density\" expressed in watts per
square meter (W/m^2^). The wind power density range for each power class
is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Wind Power Class and Density at 50 m Above Ground Level

+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| Wind Power Class  | Wind Power Density        | #######             |
|                   |                           | Resource Potential  |
|                   | (W/m^2^)                  |                     |
|                   |                           | (Utility Scale)     |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 1                 | 0 - 200                   | ####### Poor        |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 2                 | 200 - 300                 | Marginal            |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 3                 | 300 - 400                 | Fair                |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 4                 | 400 - 500                 | Good                |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 5                 | 500 - 600                 | Excellent           |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 6                 | 600 - 800                 | Outstanding         |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 7                 | \> 800                    | Superb              |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+

Wind power density is used as the key parameter in all the wind energy
analysis queries. In this query, the user will be able to the select
minimum and maximum wind power densities and view areas where wind power
density falls within those selected classifications on the map.

Wind power density classifications shown in the table above are listed
in the minimum and maximum wind power density ***Query Parameter*** list
on the query form. But the users are also allowed to enter any other
value between 0 and 10000 as minimum or maximum wind power density query
parameter. The 'Max' value listed in the maximum wind power density
dropdown list is equivalent to using 10000 as the parameter value.

1.  Select the 'Wind by Power Density' query from the Select Query
    dropdown list, as shown in Figure 11.

> ![](media/image11.png){width="3.4055555555555554in"
> height="2.6354166666666665in"}

2.  Select or enter the minimum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list, as shown in Figure 12.

3.  Select or enter the maximum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

4.  Click the ***Update Map*** button to run the query and update the
    map view.

> ![](media/image12.png){width="3.6972222222222224in"
> height="3.488888888888889in"}

Figure 13 shows the updated map view of the sample data where wind power
density is between 300 and 600 W/m^2^. Use the Pan or Zoom options to
view the map in more detail.

![](media/image13.png){width="5.478472222222222in"
height="2.7805555555555554in"}

5.  Click on th***e Results Table*** button to see the area covered by
    the query. The pop up form will show the coverage area in sq. km for
    each power class. Figure 14 shows the result of this query.

> ![](media/image14.png){width="4.197222222222222in"
> height="1.4791666666666667in"}
>
> **Query 3: Best Wind - Protected Areas**
>
> National forests, wild life sanctuaries and historical sites are
> generally considered areas protected from development. Users can use
> this query to find out the wind power density pattern outside of these
> areas. Note that the previous query does not restrict any area from
> the query, whereas here the protected areas will be excluded from the
> results.

1.  Select the 'Best wind -- protected areas' query from the ***Select
    Query*** dropdown list, as shown in Figure 15.

2.  Select or enter the minimum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

3.  Select or enter the maximum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list

> ![](media/image15.png){width="4.905555555555556in"
> height="3.4472222222222224in"}

4.  Click the ***Update Map*** button to run the query and update the
    map view.

5.  Click on the ***Results Table*** button to see the area covered by
    the query. The pop up form will show the coverage area in sq. km for
    each power class. The following figure shows the result of this
    query.

> ![](media/image16.png){width="3.7284722222222224in"
> height="2.53125in"}

**Query 4: Best Wind + Land Use**

In this query, the user will select the minimum and maximum wind power
densities and one or more land use categories from a list of unique
categories contained within the land use data. This query analyzes the
wind pattern for the wind power density between the selected values
combined with all selected land uses.

1.  Select the 'Best wind + land use' Query from the ***Select Query***
    dropdown list, as shown in Figure 17.

2.  Select or enter the minimum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

3.  Select or enter the maximum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list

4.  Select one or more land uses from the ***Land Use*** scroll down
    list.

> (Note: To select more than one land use, press the Shift or Control
> key and select the desired land uses.)
>
> ![](media/image17.png){width="5.613888888888889in"
> height="3.0930555555555554in"}
>
> 5\. Click the ***Update Map*** button to run the query and update the
> map view.

6.  Click on the ***Results Table*** button to see the area covered by
    the query. The pop up form will show the coverage area in sq. km for
    each power class.

Figure 18 shows the updated map view, and result table for this
analysis. Use the Pan

or Zoom options to view the map in more detail.

> ![](media/image18.png){width="5.415972222222222in"
> height="2.9159722222222224in"}

**Query 5: Best Wind + Roads**

In this query, the user can select the minimum and maximum wind power
densities and enter a buffer distance from roads to analyze the wind
patterns along road corridors. This type of query can be helpful in
deciding the best possible location for wind energy facilities.

1.  Select the 'Best wind + roads' query from the ***Select Query***
    dropdown list, as shown in Figure 19.

> ![](media/image19.png){width="3.3534722222222224in"
> height="1.7291666666666667in"}

2.  Select or enter the minimum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list, as shown in Figure 20.

> ![](media/image20.png){width="3.457638888888889in"
> height="3.4993055555555554in"}

3.  Select or enter the maximum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

> 4\. Enter the buffer distance from roads in kilometers.
>
> 5\. Click the ***Update Map*** button to run the query and update the
> map view.
>
> 6\. Click on the ***Results Table*** button to see the area covered by
> the query. The pop

up form will show the coverage area in sq. km for each power class.
Figure 21 shows the new map view and results table for this query.

> ![](media/image21.png){width="4.863888888888889in"
> height="3.2180555555555554in"}

**Query 6: Best Wind + Transmission**

One factor that may influence the location of wind energy facilities is
the existing energy demand in an area and the cost of energy delivery.
Constructing new power plants near existing transmission lines can
reduce the cost of energy transmission. One such scenario is evaluated
in this query, where the user can select the minimum and maximum wind
power densities and enter a buffer distance from transmission lines to
analyze wind patterns along transmission corridors. This type of query
can be helpful for identifying the possible locations for wind energy
facilities.

![](media/image22.png){width="5.457638888888889in"
height="3.4784722222222224in"}

1.  Select the 'Best wind + transmission' query from the ***Select
    Query*** dropdown list, as shown in Figure 22.

2.  Select or enter the minimum wind power density value the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

3.  Select or enter the maximum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

4.  Enter a buffer distance from transmission lines in kilometers.

5.  Click the ***Update Map*** button to run the query and update the
    map view.

6.  Click on the ***Results Table*** button to see the area covered by
    the query. The pop up form will show the coverage area in sq. km for
    each power class. Figure 22 shows the result of this query.

**Query 7: Best Wind (all)**

This is a more complex query where the user may use a combination of the
query parameters previously presented to model a desired scenario.

1.  Select the 'Best wind (all)' query from the ***Select Query***
    dropdown list, as shown in Figure 23.

2.  Select or enter the minimum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

3.  Select or enter the maximum wind power density value in the ***Query
    Parameter*** list.

> ![](media/image23.png){width="5.936805555555556in"
> height="3.3743055555555554in"}
>
> 4\. Enter a buffer distance from roads, in kilometers.
>
> 5\. Enter a buffer distance from transmission lines, in kilometers.
>
> 6\. Select one or more land use categories from the ***Land Use***
> scroll down list.
>
> (Note: To select more than one land use, press the Shift or Control
> key and select the desired land uses.)

7.  Check ***Remove Protected Areas*** to exclude protected areas from
    the analysis, or uncheck it to leave those areas in.

> 8\. Click the ***Update Map*** button to run the query and update the
> map view.
>
> 9\. Click on the ***Results Table*** button to see the area covered by
> the query. The pop up form will show the coverage area in sq. km for
> each power class.
>
> Each of these parameters can be adapted to make them more or less
> limiting, at the user's discretion. For instance, if distance to
> transmission lines is more important than distance to roads, the
> parameters could be set to 5 km from transmission lines and 25 km from
> roads. If land use is not a limiting factor, all land use categories
> can be selected.

**Query 8: Best Solar X kWh/m^2^/day**

Solar energy can be harnessed using either solar concentrators or
photovoltaic cells technology. This query can help the user to conduct a
detailed analysis for selecting the best possible places for setting up
solar concentrators or photovoltaic cell plants.

Solar resource values from 2 to 9 are listed in the minimum and maximum
solar resource ***Query Parameter*** list on the query form. But the
users are also allowed to enter any other value between 0 and 10 as
minimum or maximum solar resource query parameter.

1.  Select 'Best Solar X kWh/m^2^/day query, as shown in Figure 24.

2.  Select or enter the minimum solar resource in ***Query Parameter***
    list.

3.  Select or enter the maximum solar resource in ***Query Parameter***
    list.

4.  Select the solar resource dataset to be used in the query from the
    'Choose which solar resource' list.

> ![](media/image24.png){width="5.207638888888889in"
> height="3.4472222222222224in"}

5.  Click the ***Update Map*** button to run the query and update the
    map view.

6.  Click on the ***Results Table*** button to see the area covered by
    the query. The pop up form will show the coverage area in sq. km for
    each 0.5 kWh/m^2^/day interval.

**Dataset Description**

This part of the document describes the datasets the GsT has been set up
to use by default. Not all of the layers described here may be available
for each country. Other data layers can be added into the GsT, provided
they match the existing data parameters, but may not be usable in the
queries.

**Wind Resource**

The wind resource data included in the GsT provides annual average wind
power density (W/m^2^) and power class estimates at 50 m above ground
level. The relationship between wind power density and power class is
shown in Table 2. To minimize processing time, the wind resource data
has been aggregated to 22 wind resource levels; class 1, classes 2 -- 6
subdivided into 4 quartiles each, and class 7. This allows queries to be
performed at a level finer than power class. The data may have been
generated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Risø
National Laboratory, or the Brazilian Wind Energy Centre (CBEE).

Table 2. Wind Power Class and Density at 50 m Above Ground Level

+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| Wind Power Class  | Wind Power Density        | #######             |
|                   |                           | Resource Potential  |
|                   | (W/m^2^)                  |                     |
|                   |                           | (Utility Scale)     |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 1                 | 0 - 200                   | ####### Poor        |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 2                 | 200 - 300                 | Marginal            |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 3                 | 300 - 400                 | Fair                |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 4                 | 400 - 500                 | Good                |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 5                 | 500 - 600                 | Excellent           |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 6                 | 600 - 800                 | Outstanding         |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+
| 7                 | \> 800                    | Superb              |
+-------------------+---------------------------+---------------------+

**Solar Resource**

The solar resource data included in the GsT provides annual average
solar insolation values (kWh/m^2^/day), and may also include monthly and
seasonal values. The data may have been generated by NREL, the State
University of New York/Albany, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) or the
National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The spatial resolution of
the data may vary from 10 km to 40 km, and the types of solar insolation
data that could be included are direct normal, global horizontal, or
flat plate tilted = latitude.

**Elevation**

The elevation data included in the GsT provides information on the
terrain. If enhanced data for a country was not available, elevation
data was extracted from a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) GTOPO30 global
dataset, with a spatial resolution of 1 km. All elevation values are in
meters.

**Land Use**

The land use data included in the GsT provides information on the
primary application an area is used for, i.e. forest, urban, wetland. If
enhanced data for a country was not available, land use data was
extracted from a USGS Global Land Use/Land Cover dataset, with a spatial
resolution of 1 km.

**Political Boundaries**

The political boundaries in the GsT may include country boundary,
province/state level boundaries, and district/county level boundaries.
Wherever possible, the names of the political units will be included in
the attributes. Province/state level boundaries are used for the initial
labeling in the map view.

**Transportation and Electric Infrastructure**

The transportation data in the GsT may include roads (paved and unpaved)
and railroads. The electric infrastructure data in the GsT may include
transmission lines and power plants. These data are provided by country
partners.

**Potential Exclusions**

The potential exclusions used in the GsT may include parks, wildlife
areas, historic sites and cultural areas. At this time, only data
representing potential area exclusions (i.e. park boundaries) are used
to exclude resource in the GsT queries. These data are provided by
country partners.

**Other Reference Data**

Other reference data in the GsT may include cities/villages, lakes, and
rivers. These data are provided by country partners.