Agrivoltaic development decisions are strongest when farm suitability and transmission access are evaluated together.
Industry
Renewable energy and agricultural land development
Core challenge
Finding farms with both strong solar suitability and practical grid interconnection options
Approach
Geospatial suitability modeling combined with transmission proximity and corridor analysis
The Problem
A renewable energy developer exploring opportunities for agrivoltaic systems (solar installations integrated with agricultural production) needed to evaluate potential sites across a large agricultural region. While many farms had the land area required for solar installations, not all locations were equally viable from an infrastructure or environmental perspective.
Successful agrivoltaic projects depend on several spatial factors. Solar radiation levels influence energy production potential, while terrain conditions affect construction feasibility. Just as importantly, projects must be located near transmission infrastructure capable of delivering generated electricity to the grid.
In many cases, farms with strong solar potential were located far from existing transmission lines or substations. Connecting these sites to the grid could require costly new infrastructure. At the same time, existing transmission corridors needed ongoing monitoring to ensure that new solar generation could be integrated reliably.
The developer needed a systematic way to evaluate large numbers of potential farm locations, identify the most promising areas for agrivoltaic development, and understand how new solar assets would interact with the surrounding transmission network.
QSC’s Modeling Approach
QSC developed a geospatial modeling framework to evaluate potential agrivoltaic sites and analyze their relationship to the regional transmission infrastructure.
The system integrated multiple spatial datasets, including solar radiation estimates, terrain elevation models, land cover data, agricultural land classifications, and the locations of existing transmission lines and substations. These datasets were combined within a geospatial analysis environment that allowed each factor to be evaluated across the landscape.
Using these inputs, QSC developed a spatial suitability model to estimate the viability of agrivoltaic development at different farm locations. Areas with strong solar radiation, favorable terrain conditions, and appropriate agricultural land use received higher suitability scores.
The model also incorporated proximity to transmission infrastructure. Farms located near existing transmission lines or substations were more favorable for development because they could connect to the grid with lower infrastructure costs.
In addition to identifying candidate locations, the system evaluated the surrounding transmission network to understand how new solar assets might interact with existing infrastructure. Spatial analyses helped highlight areas where clusters of new solar installations could place additional demands on transmission capacity.
To support operational planning, QSC developed an interactive mapping software that allowed analysts and project planners to explore suitability maps and transmission infrastructure simultaneously. Users could visualize potential agrivoltaic sites, evaluate solar potential, and examine nearby transmission assets within the same system.
Decision Support in Practice
The geospatial modeling system provided the developer with a regional view of where agrivoltaic projects were most likely to succeed.
Suitability maps highlighted farms with favorable solar potential and practical grid connectivity, allowing project planners to focus early site evaluations on the most promising areas. Instead of manually evaluating individual properties across the region, planners could identify clusters of suitable locations where agrivoltaic development was likely to be both technically and economically viable.
At the same time, the spatial analyses helped the developer understand how new solar installations might interact with the existing transmission network. By mapping proposed development areas alongside transmission infrastructure, planners could identify where upgrades or additional monitoring might be required.
The same geospatial tools also supported infrastructure management. Transmission lines serving potential solar development zones could be prioritized for inspection and maintenance, ensuring that the network remained capable of supporting new generation assets.
By linking solar development planning with transmission infrastructure analysis, the system helped align renewable energy expansion with grid reliability considerations.
Outcome
The most significant improvement was the ability to evaluate agrivoltaic opportunities across the landscape in a structured and data-driven way.
Instead of relying on ad hoc site evaluations, the developer gained a spatial framework for identifying farms with strong solar potential and practical grid connectivity. This allowed early project development efforts to focus on the most viable locations.
The integration of transmission infrastructure analysis also improved long-term planning. By understanding how new solar assets might interact with the existing grid, the developer could anticipate infrastructure needs and prioritize maintenance of key transmission corridors.
For the organization, the result was not simply a set of maps. It was a geospatial decision-support system that connected agricultural land use, renewable energy potential, and infrastructure planning to guide the development of new agrivoltaic projects.