A GIS-based Decision-Making Support System for Wind Power Plant Site Selection, Case Study for Saskatchewan

Abstract

The increasing developments of wind power plants occur in many countries, which are used to mitigate the adverse effects of fossil fuels on the environment. In consideration of negative impacts, wind energy should be systematically analyzed in order to optimize the plans of governments and developers. A decision-making support system for wind power plant site selection was developed by using geographical information system in this study. The environmental, economic, and technical factors are invoked to generate the methodology. By comparing the overall performance index from the results, the best locations for wind power plants can be selected. The methodology was applied to the case study of Saskatchewan, where the development of wind power plant could be considered urgent. The results demonstrate that Saskatchewan has great potential for wind power energy development and southwest Saskatchewan is the most favorable area.

Keywords: Wind energy, site selection, decision-making support