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An Integrated Decision-Making Model for the Location of a PV Solar Plant

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  • Amy H. I. Lee

    (Department of Technology Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
    Program of Technology Management-Industrial Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
    Department of Industrial Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan)

  • He-Yau Kang

    (Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan)

  • Chun-Yu Lin

    (Program of Technology Management-Industrial Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan)

  • Kuan-Chin Shen

    (Department of Industrial Management, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan)

Abstract

Due to the increasing demand for electricity, the depletion of fossil fuels and the increase in environmental consciousness, generating power from renewable energy resources has become necessary. How to select the most appropriate site is a critical and foremost decision that must be made when setting up a renewable energy plant. This research proposes a two-stage framework for evaluating the suitability of renewable energy plant site alternatives. In the first stage, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is adopted to set the assurance region (AR) of the quantitative factors, and the AR is incorporated into data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the efficiencies of plant site candidates. A few sites are selected for further analysis. In the second stage, experts are invited to evaluate the qualitative characteristics of the selected sites, and FAHP is used to calculate the priorities of these sites. Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources, because of its abundance, inexhaustibility, safety and cleanliness. Based on the proposed integrated decision-making model, a case study for selecting the most appropriate photovoltaic (PV) solar plant site is examined.

Suggested Citation

  • Amy H. I. Lee & He-Yau Kang & Chun-Yu Lin & Kuan-Chin Shen, 2015. "An Integrated Decision-Making Model for the Location of a PV Solar Plant," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:7:y:2015:i:10:p:13522-13541:d:56626
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    9. Syed Hammad Mian & Khaja Moiduddin & Hisham Alkhalefah & Mustufa Haider Abidi & Faraz Ahmed & Faraz Hussain Hashmi, 2023. "Mechanisms for Choosing PV Locations That Allow for the Most Sustainable Usage of Solar Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-24, February.
    10. Sindhu, Sonal & Nehra, Vijay & Luthra, Sunil, 2017. "Investigation of feasibility study of solar farms deployment using hybrid AHP-TOPSIS analysis: Case study of India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 496-511.
    11. Tien-Chin Wang & Su-Yuan Tsai, 2018. "Solar Panel Supplier Selection for the Photovoltaic System Design by Using Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Approaches," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-22, July.
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    13. Rediske, Graciele & Siluk, Julio Cezar M. & Michels, Leandro & Rigo, Paula D. & Rosa, Carmen B. & Cugler, Gilberto, 2020. "Multi-criteria decision-making model for assessment of large photovoltaic farms in Brazil," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    14. Nebiyu Kedir & Phuong H. D. Nguyen & Citlaly Pérez & Pedro Ponce & Aminah Robinson Fayek, 2023. "Systematic Literature Review on Fuzzy Hybrid Methods in Photovoltaic Solar Energy: Opportunities, Challenges, and Guidance for Implementation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-38, April.
    15. Nima Mirzaei, 2022. "A Multicriteria Decision Framework for Solar Power Plant Location Selection Problem with Pythagorean Fuzzy Data: A Case Study on Green Energy in Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    16. Sofia Spyridonidou & Eva Loukogeorgaki & Dimitra G. Vagiona & Teresa Bertrand, 2022. "Towards a Sustainable Spatial Planning Approach for PV Site Selection in Portugal," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-22, November.
    17. Al Garni, Hassan Z. & Awasthi, Anjali, 2017. "Solar PV power plant site selection using a GIS-AHP based approach with application in Saudi Arabia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1225-1240.
    18. Guido C. Guerrero-Liquet & Juan Miguel Sánchez-Lozano & María Socorro García-Cascales & María Teresa Lamata & José Luis Verdegay, 2016. "Decision-Making for Risk Management in Sustainable Renewable Energy Facilities: A Case Study in the Dominican Republic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-21, May.
    19. Sultan Al-Shammari & Wonsuk Ko & Essam A. Al Ammar & Majed A. Alotaibi & Hyeong-Jin Choi, 2021. "Optimal Decision-Making in Photovoltaic System Selection in Saudi Arabia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-18, January.
    20. Chia-Nan Wang & Van Tran Hoang Viet & Thanh Phong Ho & Van Thanh Nguyen & Syed Tam Husain, 2020. "Optimal Site Selection for a Solar Power Plant in the Mekong Delta Region of Vietnam," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    21. Chia-Nan Wang & Van Thanh Nguyen & Hoang Tuyet Nhi Thai & Duy Hung Duong, 2018. "Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Approaches for Solar Power Plant Location Selection in Viet Nam," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-27, June.
    22. Milad Kolagar & Seyed Mohammad Hassan Hosseini & Ramin Felegari & Parviz Fattahi, 2020. "Policy-making for renewable energy sources in search of sustainable development: a hybrid DEA-FBWM approach," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 485-509, December.
    23. Amy H. I. Lee & He-Yau Kang & You-Jyun Liou, 2017. "A Hybrid Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Photovoltaic Solar Plant Location Selection," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-21, January.

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