Spatial multi-criteria decision analysis for site selection of wind power plants: a case study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Site selection for wind power plant (WPP) installation is a complex process that includes not only technical requirements but also physical, economic, social, and environmental sanctions. This study was carried out to determine optimal sites for WPP installation within the borders of Çanakkale province using spatial multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Within the scope of the study, sites with a high level of suitability where a WPP can be established were determined by the geographic information system (GIS) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The results were examined in two ways: by excluding and not excluding forest areas. After creating the two separate suitability maps, the annual electrical power generation potential (GP) map of the study area was generated. The results show that for the case where the forest areas were excluded, 67.26% of the study area is restricted and 29.94% is highly suitable, and for the case where the forest areas were not excluded, 58.94% is restricted and 36.25% is highly suitable. The total GP value of the highly suitable sites is 104,061.61 GWh/year. When the locations of existing WPPs were examined for control purposes, it was seen that the majority of them were located inside the areas with high suitability and outside the non-installable areas, but some of them were established in forested areas.