Abstract
Utilizing the solar energy from photovoltaic panels integrated into a water pumping system to provide electricity for dispersed villages that have no access to backup systems not only reduces the electricity grid costs and environmental pollutants but also is an innovative approach in areas with sufficient solar irradiation. Therefore, identifying and studying the feasibility of stand-alone solar power plants in various locations is the first step in using this reliable source of energy. For this reason, 93 sites in the provinces of Razavi Khorasan, Northern Khorasan, and Southern Khorasan, Iran, were chosen by the renewable energy organization engineers as regions with high potential for establishing a solar water pumping station. The goals of this research were to prioritize the 93 sites and find the perfect location for the establishment of the aforementioned station. In order to investigate and prioritize these sites, a multi-criteria decision-making method, namely, TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution), has been used. Therefore, the geographical locations of the sites and the weather in these provinces have been studied; consequently, 15 important and essential criteria, including slope, solar irradiation, precipitation, wind speed, relative humidity, altitude, distance from substation, distance from grid, obtainable solar energy capacity, distance from river, population, distance from city center, distance from road, average temperature, and number of dams in the vicinity of the site, have been chosen. All the aforementioned criteria have been weighted using the Shannon entropy method, and then the sites have been prioritized using the TOPSIS method. The results indicated that Sarayan, Isk, Esfadan, and Dasht Byaz in Southern Khorasan and then Beydokht 2 in Razavi Khorasan are the top five locations and Shosef in Southern Khorasan is the least favorite location for establishing a solar pumping station. In order to achieve more reliable results, sensitivity analysis was implemented.
Highlights
Electricity is the most important form of used energy in the contemporary world (Modu et al, 2018)
The results indicated that following region is appropriate for a solar farm
An multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method via the TOPSIS mathematical model was used in a feasibility study of three eastern and northeastern provinces of Iran, namely, Northern Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, and Southern Khorasan
Summary
Electricity is the most important form of used energy in the contemporary world (Modu et al, 2018). Due to the increment of population in developed countries and in developing ones, the global energy consumption is continuously increasing (Zhang et al, 2018). The important role of energy in the day-to-day activities of man cannot be neglected, and the scarcity of these resources has forced societies to change their consumption patterns, and behavior in utilizing energy and governments to search for new ways to save energy, reduce its ever increasing costs, and utilize alternative renewable energies (Yücenur et al, 2020). Regarding the preparations of the infrastructure and the initial strategic decisions in the field of energy, the required steps include primary studies, analyses, decision-making, and operational stages in achieving energy security, obtaining reliable energy resources, reducing environmental harms, and, a sustainable society
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