Sustainable solar energy deployment: a multicriteria decision-making approach for site suitability and greenhouse gas emission reduction

Abstract

Conventional power generation methods have led to adverse environmental impacts. Thus, the need for a strategic transition to alternative energy sources arises. This paper addresses land suitability and allocation for utility-scale solar farms based on environmental and socioeconomic planning. It employs multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, namely, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy logic via a geographic information system (GIS). Environmental, economic, technical, social, and safety energy-optimization criteria are applied. A case study of Jamaica was utilized to explain the logic and efficiency of the model, where sites were determined by assigning weights to the criteria based on responses from a questionnaire with stakeholders and energy expert respondents. Information from published literature also determined criteria constraints for buffered distances and prohibited zones of ecological importance, land use areas, and hydrologic geomorphology. The fuzzy logic models of zero (unacceptable) and one (acceptable) are compared against the AHP model, where weights are applied according to relative importance. Finally, 16 suitable sites are identified based on their coordinates, specific available land, global horizontal irradiance (GHI), photovoltaic power potential (PVOUT), optimal tilt of the PV module (OPTM), temperature, elevation, and potential energy based on the silicon PV model. The suitability maps reveal that the total potential energy generation ranges from 19.96 to 109.15 GWh per year, with total land availability ranging from 666.90 to 2824.10 km2. Moreover, the amount of fossil fuel-based energy displaced is equivalent to 64,210 barrels of oil (BOE) or 1.94% per year, with 51,365.84 million tons of CO2e or a 1.71% reduction in total greenhouse emissions, saving the country US$3.28 million in social benefits from CO2 abated. The study's results can aid energy planners, potential investors, policymakers, and researchers identify suitable locations for utility-scale solar farms while minimizing environmental damage and optimizing land use to achieve sustainable renewable energy expansion for increased energy security.