IDENTIFYING THE OPTIMAL PLACEMENT OF SPATIAL WIND ENERGY FARMS IN SELANGOR, MALAYSIA

Abstract

Electrical energy is indispensable for the economic growth and well-being of humanity. However, there is a growing concern with the conventional method of generating electricity which is by burning coal and other fossil fuels. In the coming decades, the world will experience a transition to cleaner energy, away from the use of fossil fuels. One of the clean and renewable energies that is getting more popular and advancing in technology is wind energy. Wind energy requires a proper location to operate in order to be profitable and have the desired impact on society. In search of a suitable location for wind energy, a Geographical Information System based Multi-Criteria Decision Making (GIS-MCDM) approach was utilized in this paper to explore the suitable areas for wind energy development in Selangor. Eight parameters were chosen to address this concern, including terrain elevation, terrain slope, road network, airport locations, forests, settlements, water bodies and average wind speed. All of these criteria were weighted using the pairwise comparison approach in MCDM, and the decisionmaking process was facilitated by the criteria utilizing the ArcGIS-weighted overlay tool. The study has identified seven potential sites, but only four sites that are practically located the wind energy site, which are Banting, Jeram, Ijok and Kerling. GIS-MCDM can assist the decision-maker in designing the optimal placement of wind farms in real scenarios.