---
path: industries/energy-and-utilities
title: Energy and Utilities
desc: Screen land near substations and outside protected areas.
date: Oct 21, 2026
---

# Screen land for projects near a grid connection

Early solar and storage screening asks a simple question first: where is there enough open land close to a substation, outside protected areas? This example runs that screen across the Kakheti region of Georgia with OpenStreetMap data.

## Farmland near substations in Kakheti, Georgia

**Data:** OpenStreetMap land use (farmland, vineyard, orchard, meadow), power substations and protected areas
**Method:** keep land-use blocks of at least 20 ha, within 2 km of a substation, and outside every protected area

```sql
-- Land-use blocks >= 20 ha, within 2 km of a substation, outside protected areas, inside Kakheti
WITH kakheti AS (
  SELECT geom FROM osm.place_polygon WHERE osm_id = -2000091
),
substations AS (
  SELECT geom FROM osm.infrastructure_point
  WHERE  osm_type = 'power' AND osm_subtype = 'substation' AND geom && ST_MakeEnvelope(44.9, 41.0, 46.8, 42.6, 4326)
  UNION ALL
  SELECT ST_Centroid(geom) FROM osm.infrastructure_polygon
  WHERE  osm_type = 'power' AND osm_subtype = 'substation' AND geom && ST_MakeEnvelope(44.9, 41.0, 46.8, 42.6, 4326)
),
protected AS (
  SELECT geom FROM osm.place_polygon
  WHERE  boundary IN ('protected_area', 'national_park') AND geom && ST_MakeEnvelope(44.9, 41.0, 46.8, 42.6, 4326)
)
SELECT l.osm_id, l.osm_type AS land_use,
       ROUND((ST_Area(l.geom::geography) / 10000)::numeric, 1) AS hectares, l.geom
FROM   osm.landuse_polygon AS l, kakheti AS k
WHERE  l.osm_type IN ('farmland', 'meadow', 'vineyard', 'orchard')
  AND  l.geom && k.geom AND ST_Intersects(l.geom, k.geom)
  AND  ST_Area(l.geom::geography) >= 200000
  AND  EXISTS (
         SELECT 1 FROM substations AS s
         WHERE  s.geom && ST_Expand(l.geom, 0.03)
           AND  ST_DWithin(l.geom::geography, s.geom::geography, 2000)
       )
  AND  NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM protected AS p WHERE ST_Intersects(l.geom, p.geom));
```

Each rule is one line of the query, so changing a threshold is a visible edit. The `&&` box tests let the indexes narrow the search before the exact distance is measured.

```map
kakheti-farmland-near-substations
```

OpenStreetMap maps land use, not parcels, so a single block can cover thousands of hectares.

## Run it on your data

Upload your candidate parcels in place of the OpenStreetMap land use, and your own substations or assets in place of the `substations` step; the three rules stay the same. See [supported files](/docs/upload-anything/files) and [spreadsheets](/docs/upload-anything/spreadsheets).


## Frequently asked questions

**Does being near a substation mean a site can connect?**

No\. Proximity is one screening rule\. Capacity and interconnection need data from the network operator\.

**Can I change a threshold and compare?**

Edit the number in the query and run it again\. Each run produces a new layer for comparison\.


## Next step

- [Open the map in the gallery](/gallery?industry=energy-and-utilities)
- [Learn the SQL behind it](/docs/spatial-sql-book)
- [Book a demo](/demo)