Suitable Site Selection for Solar-Based Green Hydrogen in Southern Thailand Using GIS-MCDM Approach

Fida Ali, Adul Bennui, Shahariar Chowdhury and Kuaanan Techato
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Fida Ali: Department of Sustainable Energy Management, Faculty of Environment Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Thailand
Adul Bennui: Southern Regional Center of Geo-Informatics and Space Technology, Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Thailand
Shahariar Chowdhury: Department of Sustainable Energy Management, Faculty of Environment Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Thailand
Kuaanan Techato: Department of Sustainable Energy Management, Faculty of Environment Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Thailand

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: Climate change mitigation efforts are in dire need of greener and more versatile fuel alternatives to fossil fuels. Green hydrogen being both renewable and flexible has the potential to offset fossil fuels as the primary fuel source. Countries around the world are planning to develop their green hydrogen industries and accurate potential assessment is vital. This study employed the consolidation of a geographic information system (GIS) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique of multicriteria decision making (MCDM) for the potential assessment of green hydrogen in southern Thailand, through the selection of suitable sites for solar-based green hydrogen production. Technical, economic, and environmental criteria with 10 sub-criteria were considered for the selection of suitable sites. With 0.243 (24.3%) weight, the distance from protected areas turned out to be the most important sub-criterion, whereas the criterion of elevation, with a 0.017 (1.7%) score, was considered the least important. Southern Thailand is a well-suited area for solar-based green hydrogen production, with a 4302 km 2 area of high suitability and a 3350 km 2 area of moderate suitability. These suitable areas can be utilized to develop the green hydrogen industry of Thailand, and the method developed can be employed for the assessment of green hydrogen potential in other parts of the country. Studies like these are vital for the development of green hydrogen road maps for Thailand to develop its hydrogen policy and promote investments in the sector.

Keywords: green hydrogen; solar energy; site selection; geographic information system; MCDM; analytical hierarchy process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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