M. Sheikhalishahi - Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
A. Azadeh - Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
S. Abdolhossein Zadeh - M.Sc. Candidate, Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

This study presents a flexible approach for optimization of the location of solar plants. It consists of artificial neural network (ANN) and fuzzy data envelopment analysis (FDEA). The intelligent approach of this study is applied to an actual location optimization of solar plants in Iran. First, FDEA is validated by DEA, and then it is used for ranking solar plant units (SPUs) and the best a- cut is selected based on the test of Normality. Also, several multilayer perceptron (MLP) ANNs are developed for ranking of solar plants and the best one with the minimum MAPE is selected for further considerations. Finally, the preferred model (i.e. FDEA or ANN) is selected based on the test of Normality.

Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis; Artificial Neural Network; Location Optimization; Solar Plant Unit; Uncertainty