Application of Fuzzy GIS and ANP for Wind Power Plant Site Selection in East Azerbaijan Province of Iran

Unique features of wind energy have caused increasing demands for such resources in various countries. In order to use wind energy as a natural resource, environmental circumstances and geographical location related to the wind intensity must be considered. The possibility of establishing wind farms in East Azerbaijan province in northeastern Iran was assessed by using a combination of fuzzy geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). The objectives of this paper are the site selection based on the fuzzy logic and weighted linear combination (WLC). In this way, after the identification, evaluation of criteria layers by using fuzzy method due to their uncertainty and determination of their importance, the layers are combined. Overally, the results show that the combination of fuzzy logic, WLC and MCDM have a high accuracy and positioning in locating optimal wind sites. Final map was divided into four classes: suitable, moderately suitable, relatively unsuitable and unsuitable. The obtained results further show that the central parts are the most appropriate and suitable site for establishing wind power plant. However, more specific results of this study indicate that some areas in Haris, Tabriz and Bostan Abad have a higher potential in this regard.

Keywords:

Wind power plant , Fuzzy GIS , ANP , East Azerbaijan province , Criteria