A spatial cost-benefit-externality modelling framework for siting of variable renewable energy farms: A case in Bohol, Philippines

Site selection is an integral component of energy planning. For renewable technologies, Geographic Information System (GIS) and multi-criteria decision-making became the most prevalent approach for such a data-intensive task. However, site selection can also be carried out using GIS and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). This paper aims to introduce a four-stage energy modelling framework for siting of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) farms using GIS and CBA. Adopting a well-established framework, the first three stages are dedicated to finding suitable sites and estimating spatio-technical inputs. In the fourth stage, CBA is performed from the developer's perspective, and the viability of VRE technologies is assessed using the benefit-cost ratio. The model output is a viability map, and externalities are separately calculated to assist planning and policymaking. We implement this framework to assess the viability and estimate the externalities of utility-scale solar PV and wind farms in Bohol and find a modest potential for viable VREs in this province. The compensation effect, which is inherent to linear combination models, is unavoidable and is manifested in our results. We have also evaluated the model sensitivity to the model variables and parameters. This framework can be implemented in a study area of any geographic scale. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.