Identifying suitable sites for large-scale solar installations is one of the biggest challenges facing renewable energy developers today. With multiple factors influencing site feasibility—from land availability, grid constraints and regulatory constraints to energy generation potential—developers need precise, reliable data to guide their decisions.

At Advanced Infrastructure, we understand this need. That’s why we’ve developed a comprehensive dataset designed specifically for assessing the suitability of land parcels for ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. This dataset simplifies the large-scale solar site selection process, enabling developers to make informed decisions faster and with greater confidence.

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The Challenge: Site Selection for Solar Farms & Large Scale Solar Sites

Finding the right site for a solar farm involves navigating a web of constraints. Land availability is just the starting point. Developers must also consider physical limitations, planning restrictions, and the energy generation potential of a given location. Without accurate, granular data, the process can be time-consuming and costly, often leading to false starts and wasted resources.

This is where our ground-mount PV dataset comes in. By providing detailed, parcel-specific insights, we empower renewable energy developers to quickly identify viable sites while avoiding unsuitable ones.

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Introducing Ground-Mount PV Data

Ground Mount PV Data from Advanced Infrastructure offers a parcel-based land suitability analysis for ground-mounted solar PV installations. The parcels included are carefully assessed against a variety of key constraints. This includes road networks, railway lines, and areas with environmental protection status like ancient woodlands and national parks. Additionally, the dataset considers whether the land is located within sensitive areas, such as green belts or regions with a high concentration of managed woodland. If viewed in the LAEP+ platform, this can be overlaid with regularly updated views of grid constraints across the different voltage levels.

By evaluating these factors, we help developers prioritise parcels that are more likely to be suitable for solar development. This process reduces the time spent on unsuitable sites, thereby accelerating the decision-making process.

Another key feature of our dataset is the energy generation potential estimate for each parcel. Using a PVOUT dataset, we provide reliable estimates of the potential energy output (kWh/kWp) for each location, ensuring that developers can factor in both land suitability and energy production when making their decisions.

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How Ground Mount PV Data supports Renewable Energy Developers

Our ground-mount PV dataset is a powerful tool designed to support renewable energy developers in several key ways:

1. Support Investment Decisions: By providing a clear picture of site feasibility, our dataset helps developers prioritise the most promising locations, minimising risks before significant investments are made.
   
   
2. Aid Planning Processes: Developers can use the dataset to streamline negotiations with landowners, planners, and other stakeholders by presenting data-backed insights.
   
   
3. Optimise Land Use: With suitability and generation potential clearly outlined, developers can focus on high-value parcels, reducing time spent on sites that are unlikely to succeed.

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Key Data Highlights

Our analysis is rooted in robust data and meticulous filtering processes. Here are some of the highlights:

• Comprehensive Coverage: Land parcels across England, Wales, and Scotland are included, with precise boundaries and relevant filters applied.
  
  
• Categorised Suitability: Parcels are classified based on Overall Suitability  “True,” “Maybe,” or “False” based on their constraints, simplifying decision-making. We also include “True” and “False” flags for each constraint parameters assessed, as well as whether the parameter is a firm constraint (i.e. prevents any development) or a soft constraint (i.e. could be overcome).
  
  
• Reliable Energy Estimates: Using the PVOUT dataset ensures that generation potential calculations are accurate and relevant to real-world conditions.

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Why Choose Advanced Infrastructure?

Advanced Infrastructure brings deep expertise and innovation to renewable energy data solutions. Our ground-mount PV dataset is designed with developers’ needs in mind, offering unparalleled accuracy and actionable insights. By leveraging this dataset, developers can save time, reduce costs, and maximise the success of their large scale solar projects.

Ground Mount PV data is just one dataset in our GIS tool belt that can be combined with our cloud based net zero planning platform LAEP+ (Local Area Energy Planner Plus), or as a stand alone dataset available in various exportable file formats including GPKG.

Are you ready to optimise your solar site selection process? Contact Advanced Infrastructure today to request a sample of our ground-mount PV dataset or to schedule a consultation with our team. 

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