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Application of an extension method on optimal site selection for PV power systems: A case study in Taiwan
Author(s) -
Huang MeiLing,
Wang MengHui,
Lu ShiueDer,
Lin YueTer
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ieej transactions on electrical and electronic engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.254
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1931-4981
pISSN - 1931-4973
DOI - 10.1002/tee.22636
Subject(s) - payback period , analytic hierarchy process , photovoltaic system , site selection , reliability engineering , electric power system , renting , investment (military) , computer science , operations research , environmental economics , sizing , power (physics) , engineering , civil engineering , production (economics) , economics , electrical engineering , art , physics , quantum mechanics , politics , political science , law , visual arts , macroeconomics
Photovoltaic (PV) power investors mainly consider the investment cost and payback period when settling on a new PV power site. This study applies the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to decompose complex decision‐making problems into several subproblems, which are then organized into a tree‐like structure. The relative importance of each subproblem is weighted to prevent subjective cognitive differences when setting the weight for each factor. Subsequently, this study adopts the extension theory to solve the contradictory problems generated during quality assessments, to analyze the principal factors influencing the installation sites for PV power systems, and to evaluate optimal installation sites. This study further integrates AHP with a quality assessment method based on the extension theory to select the optimal site for installing PV power systems. Factors affecting installation sites comprise sunshine, temperature, PV cell conversion efficiency, feed‐in tariffs, investment payback period, interest rate on bank loans, land rental, and installation costs. Sites located in Northern, Central, and Southern Taiwan and the outlying islands of Taiwan were analyzed. Finally, results from the analysis verify that the method proposed herein generates results quickly and is easy to use. Therefore, the proposed method can help select the optimal installation site for PV power systems. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.