Optimizing onshore wind power installation within China via geographical multi-objective decision-making

Wind power, a promising renewable energy technology, not only offers an alternative to coal-fired power plants but also brings significant economic and environmental benefits. This study employs the hybrid analysis assessment and multi-objective optimization to propose various wind power schemes for Chinese provinces/municipalities under economic and decarbonization priority scenarios. The findings reveal that the plain wind power scheme in Northeast China presents the largest net economic benefit as well as the net emission reduction potential, ranging from 8.33 to 9.10 million CNY/MW and from 28.91 to 30.03 ktCO2/MW, respectively. Inner Mongolia is projected to be the leading wind power installer between 2021 and 2030, potentially yielding the net economic benefit of 4.76 billion CNY and the net emission reduction potential of 12.50 million tons per year. For provinces with 0-10 km2 of unexploitable land, such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Henan, the average economic benefit is almost less than 100 million CNY, and the average emission reduction is less than 500,000 tons. This study proposes the geographical multi-objective decision-making of different wind power schemes, which attempts to provide practical implications for the rational deployment of wind power installation within China toward low-carbon transition.