Multi-Criteria Decision Making for Selecting the Location of a Solar Photovoltaic Park: A Case Study in UAE

Saeed Al-Ali (), Abdul Ghani Olabi and Montaser Mahmoud
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Saeed Al-Ali: Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Abdul Ghani Olabi: Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Montaser Mahmoud: Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-14

Abstract: The high availability of solar energy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) makes it the most attractive source of energy in this region, especially due to the global shift toward eco-friendly systems. A significant increase in the implementation of solar PV projects has been noticed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For this reason, this study conducted a multi-criteria decision-making process to compare four locations for building a solar PV park in the UAE, namely, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain. Various criteria were taken into account, including the solar radiation, wind speed, distance from the electricity grid, distance from seaports, and land cost. A hybrid AHP-TOPSIS model was employed to evaluate the criteria weights and alternatives’ scores, which were also compared with the no priority-TOPSIS to check the effects of the criteria weights on the overall ranking. According to the findings, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were ranked first and second, with final scores of 0.7108 and 0.4427, respectively, when using the AHP-TOPSIS model. Furthermore, Umm Al Quwain scored slightly less than that of second place, with a value of 0.4252. The top two ranked alternatives were consistent between the two compared models, as Dubai also performed the best among all locations, which confirmed the reliability of the proposed approach and verified the obtained results and rankings.

Keywords: multi-criteria decision making; solar energy; photovoltaics; analytical hierarchy process; TOPSIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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