Smart Siting Guide: Portugal - Balancing energy, conservation, and community priorities in developing ground-mounted solar and onshore wind on low conflict sites – Technical Annex v1.0.0.

This technical annex provides an overview of the spatial modeling methodologies, datasets, and frameworks used to support Smart Siting Guide for Portugal. It is designed to serve as documentation of methods and a technical reference for practitioners, planners, and researchers engaged in renewable energy siting. The annex is structured to guide users through the modeling pipeline, from the development of probabilistic maps of wind and solar energy potential, to the integration of biodiversity and social value layers for identifying low conflict areas. It details the data sources, spatial analysis techniques, and modeling decisions used for the energy development potential maps (Chapter 2). It also outlines the biodiversity mapping approach using a coarse-filter/fine-filter framework (Chapter 3), and the social values mapping methodology, including viewshed analysis based on social media-derived landscape values and cultural heritage datasets (Chapter 4). Whether used to replicate the modeling process, adapt it to other geographies, or inform policy and planning decisions, this annex provides the technical foundation for evidence-based, nature-inclusive renewable energy siting.