Solar energy is one of the important energy sources and countries have realized the important role of renewable energies due to the depletion of conventional energy sources. In this study, a GIS-based analysis is utilized for investigating the feasibility of solar energy in Iran. To evaluate the concept of risk into the GIS-based analysis for determining optimal areas for installation of solar power plants an Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) approach is used for the first time. Integration of OWA-based approach and GIS analysis provide models that determine the priority of regions from risk-free decision to risky decision strategies. The results show that Kerman, Yazd, Fars, Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchistan, South Khorasan and Isfahan provinces have a good capacity to invest in solar energy projects. The GIS-based analysis indicates that the values of installed solar power plants percentages in high chosen areas for the most pessimistic and optimistic strategies are 7% and 64%, respectively. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.