Quantifying Land Use from Commercial Onshore Wind Energy Farms in Thailand Utilizing Geo-Informatics Technology

Watcharapong  Tantawat; Saowanit Lekhavat

doi:10.69650/rast.2026.264649

Authors

Watcharapong Tantawat School of Integrated Science, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Saowanit Lekhavat School of Integrated Science, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69650/rast.2026.264649

Keywords:

GIS, Geo-Informatics Technology, Land Use, Power Plant, Sustainable Development, Onshore Wind Farms

Abstract

This study quantifies the spatial footprint of 29 commercial onshore wind energy farms in Thailand (263 km² in total) using Geo-Informatics Technology which integrates remote sensing and GIS. Satellite imagery before and after construction was analyzed to compute the Land Use Intensity of Electricity (LUIE), defined as direct area per unit of generated electricity. Before construction, agricultural lands were the dominant land cover within wind energy farms (80.63 %), followed by forest lands (8.89 %), miscellaneous lands (5.7%), urban and built-up lands (2.71%), water bodies (1.10%), and roads (0.98%). After construction, agricultural lands remained dominant (79.06%), with forest lands (7.81%), water bodies (6.57%), urban and built-up lands (3.0%), roads (1.54%), miscellaneous lands (1.38%), and land use from the infrastructure of the wind energy farms (0.64%). The most notable changes were that water bodies significantly increased from 1.10% to 6.57% while built‑up areas and roads slightly increased from 2.71% and 0.98% to 3.00 % and 1.54 %, respectively. Wind farm infrastructure directly occupied 3.19 km² (1.21% of the 263 km²). Wind turbine foundations and hardstands accounted for most of the land use (50.25% of 3.19 km²), followed by new roads (46.80% of 3.19 km²), and substations and other facilities (2.9% of 3.19 km²). The median LUIE was 42.6 m²/GWh, demonstrating high spatial efficiency. The findings of the study demonstrate the minimal agricultural land decrease (from 80.63% to 79.06%). This confirms compatibility between wind energy development and agricultural co-use in Thailand's rural landscapes, providing empirical data for future wind energy farm planning and land use policy.

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