Evaluation of the Effective Factors in Locating a Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant Using Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method

The energy of processes is mainly supplied by fossil fuels. Short life of fossil energy sources and increasing environmental pollution caused by fossil fuels and increasing demand have made researchers introduce new solutions for supply of energy. Energy production in a photovoltaic solar power plant is cost-effective due to being clean and renewable. The power generation of these plants is affected by their site due to climate conditions, effective radiation periods, and the rate of solar radiation absorption. Therefore, finding the optimal location to establish a solar power plant is important. Identifying effective location criteria and the importance of these criteria is effective in choosing the optimal location.In this research, in the first phase, the effective criteria in locating a photovoltaic solar power plant were investigated based on the Delphi method. Then, in the second phase, based on the criteria identified in the first phase, fuzzy hierarchy method was used to compare the criteria with each other and determine the importance of each of them. The results of the study showed that the rate of solar radiation and average temperature were the most important criteria in locating photovoltaic solar power plant. Moreover, the criteria of slope, distance to main roads, distance to power lines, and land use were of highest importance in locating a photovoltaic solar power plant.