Selection of solar panel using entropy TOPSIS technique

Abstract

Energy surplus has always been problematic in isolated and countryside areas of the globe, both monetarily and technically. Prioritizing energy sources to electrify a rural hamlet is the most challenging stage. Because no one option is perfect, pooling resources is always a good idea. The combination of monetary, technological, and eco-friendly factors in planned decision-making complicates building an independent off-grid source of electricity. Due to their cheap cost and low noise, standalone solar systems have been seen as viable and rapidly developing green energy sources, particularly for rural electrification. However, these systems' lowest energy conversion and highest capital expenses are their principal drawbacks. As a result, numerous factors should be considered before installing the system, including PV panel types and configurations, PV module mathematical models, storage batteries, environmental requirements, sizing strategy based on techno-economic objectives, and final design choices. This research aims to present a method for choosing the optimum solar panel for rural electrification based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) strategy. The SPs are associated with various characteristics, like Cost Per Watt, INR (SPC-1), and Nameplate Max. Power rating; Watt (SPC-2), Vmax; Volts (SPC-3), Imax; Amperes (SPC-4), Voc; Volts (SPC-5), Isc; Amperes (SPC-6), Panel; efficiency(%) (SPC-7), Number of cells: quantity (SPC-8) and Weight;kg (SPC-9). The SPC-1 and SPC-9 are nonbeneficial criteria, and the SPC-2 to SPC-8 are beneficial criteria. As a result, the TOPSIS procedure is applied to choose the optimum option out of the 16 options. For equal weight, the MCS value is 0.626, whereas the entropy weight approach has an MCS value of 0.817. Following that, using the TOPSIS technique, SP-12 ranks second in alternatives. If the first option isn't available on the market, the second can be chosen.