Abstract
This study investigated the prioritization and ranking problem of the appropriate locations at which to deploy solar photovoltaic (PV) farms. Although different Multicriteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods can be found in the literature to address this problem, a comparative analysis of those methods is missing. The aim of this study is to compare four different MCDM approaches to evaluate and rank suitable areas for the deployment of solar PV farms, with the island of Rhodes (Greece) being used as an example. Feasible areas for the location of such facilities were identified with the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), by applying certain exclusion criteria found either in the national legislative framework or in the international literature. Data were obtained from Greek open geospatial data. The feasible sites were evaluated and ranked using four different MCDM methods: the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), the VIKOR (VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje), and the PROMETHEE II (Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment of Evaluations) method. The best alternative rated according to three TOPSIS, VIKOR and PROMETHEE is site (S2). The second-best alternative in the above three methods is site (S1), while the worst is site (S3). The best alternative rated according to AHP (S4) is in sixth position according to TOPSIS and in fifth position VIKOR and PROMETHEE. The comparison demonstrated that different MCDM techniques may generate different ranks. The simultaneous use of several MCDM methods in energy siting problems is considered advantageous as it can help decision makers to select the most sustainable sites, avoiding the disadvantages and availing the advantages of each method.
Highlights
Accepted: 10 December 2021The share of renewable energy in the European Union has been almost doubled between 2004 and 2019 [1]
The best alternative rated according to Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) (S4) is in sixth position according to TOPSIS and in fifth position VIKOR and PROMETHEE
The weights of the assessment criteria that influence the location of solar PV facilities were obtained, using the AHP method
Summary
Accepted: 10 December 2021The share of renewable energy in the European Union has been almost doubled between 2004 and 2019 [1]. Wind and hydropower are the main sources of renewables for gross electricity generation, solar photovoltaic (PV) has seen a significant growth and is expected to lead electricity production from renewables in the future [1]. According to International Energy Agency (IEA) [2], “net additions in Europe are expected to increase steadily from 21 GW in 2021 to an average of 25 GW per year between 2023 and 2025 and this trend is largely supported by an increase in policy efforts to meet the European Union’s 2030 renewable energy target of 32% under the Renewable Energy. The solar photovoltaic installed capacity had increased from 202 MW in 2010 to 3247 MW in 2020, while the electricity generation had increased from 158 GWh in 2010 to 4429 GWh in 2020 [4]. A long-term energy planning is currently underway in Greece, having as a preliminary target for cumulative PV capacity till 2030 the amount of 6.9 GW [3]
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