Application of Two-Step Entropy–TOPSIS Method and Complete Linkage Clustering for Water-Pumping Windmill Investment on Thailand Peninsula

Sakon Klongboonjit and Tossapol Kiatcharoenpol ()
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Sakon Klongboonjit: Industrial Engineering Department, School of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand
Tossapol Kiatcharoenpol: Industrial Engineering Department, School of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-23

Abstract: This study focuses on identifying suitable areas for the installation of water-pumping windmills in Thailand, which require wind speeds of at least 4 m/s to operate efficiently. A simple combined approach is introduced, integrating the Entropy–TOPSIS method complete linkage clustering to prioritize and categorize potential locations. Out of 271 initial areas, 28 have been selected based on their ability to meet the 4 m/s wind speed threshold. The Entropy–TOPSIS method first evaluates these areas based on monthly wind speed and agricultural area. The analysis reveals that regions with higher wind speeds generally score better for wind energy potential, while areas with larger agricultural spaces tend to score higher for farming suitability. The final integrated scores show that agricultural area is more significant, with a weight of 0.7788, compared to the wind speed weight of 0.2212. The areas are then ranked, and complete linkage clustering groups them into six categories, from the most to the least suitable for windmill installation. A sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the clustering method, as the group composition remains stable despite minor changes in weight adjustments. This approach simplifies decision-making for sustainable energy investments in Thailand agriculture sector.

Keywords: two-step Entropy–TOPSIS; complete linkage clustering; area priority; area clustering; sustainable energy investments; water-pumping windmill; Thailand peninsula (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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