Optimal site selection for solar plant using analytical hierarchy process (AHP): A case study in Bangladesh

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the sources of renewable energy which is clean, affordable, and limitless. Despite Bangladesh having a significant potential for solar energy for its excellent geographic location, relatively low research work on location selection for the establishment of solar plants and little attempt has been taken to expand the solar energy industry. The optimal location for a solar plant to be built is the main objective of this research. Considering several aspects, five potential locations are selected utilizing the geographic data to find the optimal location and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) which is one of the multi-models assessment techniques implemented to get the ideal site for solar power plants. While applying this method, some expert survey has been done via Google Form where some of the principal impact factors are set up like questionnaire and obtained the weight for the criteria for the AHP method. The results of the current analysis indicate that Rajshahi is obtained as best location for solar plant establishment followed by Ishwardi, Chattogram, Chuadanga, and Mymensingh. This work will enable to propose an effective, practical, and structured decision-making framework that could aid policymakers in Bangladesh to select the best locations for solar farms.