Optimal Solar Power Station Site Selection Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Iran

A vast country with a mean solar irradiance of 4.5 kilowatts per square meter, Iran enjoys very high potentials for establishment and utilization of solar systems and, in particular, production of electrical energy from solar power stations. The present study was conducted for Optimal Solar Power Station Site Selection Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Iran, and the Expert Choice software. AHP is one of the most widespread multi-criteria decision-making tools. The research considered criteria and sub-criteria such as the amount of radiation, number of sunny days, mean temperature, air humidity, precipitation, amount of dust and pollution, and cloudiness factor. For obtaining the optimal location using the AHP method, implemented in Expert Choice, pairwise comparison is made between the sets for weighting after the hierarchical levels, including the goal, criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives (intended locations), are specified. As the sets are weighted, the compatibility of judgments is analyzed, which must be less than 0.1. The capitals of the provinces of Iran were considered in the research. From among the thirty-one locations in the examined region, the city of Zahedan was selected as the best location for establishment of solar power stations, and the other alternatives were assigned the next priorities given their weights. Moreover, sensitivity analysis was made on the major criteria, and the impact of parameter weight on the alternatives was assessed.