IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v13y2020i22p5946-d444942.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Heuristic Approach to Siting and Design Optimization of an Onshore Wind Farm Layout

Author

Listed:
  • Shafiqur Rehman

    (Center for Engineering Research, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia)

  • Abdul Baseer Mohammed

    (Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Jubail Industrial College, Jubail 31961, Saudi Arabia)

  • Luai Alhems

    (Center for Engineering Research, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

The forecasted electricity demand in Saudi Arabia may be around 120 GW/year by 2032. As per the latest government announcement, Saudi Arabia is aiming to install 57.5 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. In this study, firstly, a wind map is developed based on the historical wind data, recorded over a 39-year period, followed by the development of the geographic information system (GIS)-based multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model for suitable wind farm site selection for Hijaz, the western region of Saudi Arabia. This region is selected as it has a population density of around 25 per sq. km, the highest in Saudi Arabia. For the model, data from various ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic criteria are considered. Finally, the optimization of the wind farm layout on the identified suitable region of 5.5 km × 4 km is performed using the deep-array wake model, DAWM. The optimized layout has locations for 30 wind turbines of 3 MW rated capacity. This optimization process minimizes energy losses and costs and maximizes power production. The net and gross energy production from the wind farm are expected to be 143 GWh and 156 GWh, respectively, with an array loss of 8.25% at a cost of energy of USD 65.66 per MWh, and a capacity factor of 17.7%. The cost calculations include the capital cost of constructing the access roads and a complete collector system with two substations. The optimized turbine positions in the layout have a major and minor axis separation of 1680 m and 448 m, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Shafiqur Rehman & Abdul Baseer Mohammed & Luai Alhems, 2020. "A Heuristic Approach to Siting and Design Optimization of an Onshore Wind Farm Layout," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:22:p:5946-:d:444942
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/22/5946/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/22/5946/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. van Haaren, Rob & Fthenakis, Vasilis, 2011. "GIS-based wind farm site selection using spatial multi-criteria analysis (SMCA): Evaluating the case for New York State," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(7), pages 3332-3340, September.
    2. Sliz-Szkliniarz, Beata & Vogt, Joachim, 2011. "GIS-based approach for the evaluation of wind energy potential: A case study for the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 1696-1707, April.
    3. Tao, Siyu & Xu, Qingshan & Feijóo, Andrés & Zheng, Gang & Zhou, Jiemin, 2020. "Wind farm layout optimization with a three-dimensional Gaussian wake model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 553-569.
    4. Siyal, Shahid Hussain & Mörtberg, Ulla & Mentis, Dimitris & Welsch, Manuel & Babelon, Ian & Howells, Mark, 2015. "Wind energy assessment considering geographic and environmental restrictions in Sweden: A GIS-based approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 447-461.
    5. Latinopoulos, D. & Kechagia, K., 2015. "A GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation for wind farm site selection. A regional scale application in Greece," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 550-560.
    6. Aydin, Nazli Yonca & Kentel, Elcin & Duzgun, Sebnem, 2010. "GIS-based environmental assessment of wind energy systems for spatial planning: A case study from Western Turkey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 364-373, January.
    7. Wang, Longyan & Tan, Andy & Gu, Yuantong, 2016. "A novel control strategy approach to optimally design a wind farm layout," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 10-21.
    8. Baseer, M.A. & Meyer, J.P. & Rehman, S. & Alam, Md. Mahbub, 2017. "Wind power characteristics of seven data collection sites in Jubail, Saudi Arabia using Weibull parameters," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(PA), pages 35-49.
    9. Baban, Serwan M.J & Parry, Tim, 2001. "Developing and applying a GIS-assisted approach to locating wind farms in the UK," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 59-71.
    10. Ju, Xinglong & Liu, Feng, 2019. "Wind farm layout optimization using self-informed genetic algorithm with information guided exploitation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 248(C), pages 429-445.
    11. Baseer, M.A. & Rehman, S. & Meyer, J.P. & Alam, Md. Mahbub, 2017. "GIS-based site suitability analysis for wind farm development in Saudi Arabia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1166-1176.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Artur Amsharuk & Grażyna Łaska, 2022. "A Review: Existing Methods for Solving Spatial Planning Problems for Wind Turbines in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Youcef Himri & Shafiqur Rehman & Ali Mostafaeipour & Saliha Himri & Adel Mellit & Mustapha Merzouk & Nachida Kasbadji Merzouk, 2022. "Overview of the Role of Energy Resources in Algeria’s Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-26, June.
    3. Alphan, Hakan, 2024. "Incorporating visibility information into multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) for wind turbine deployment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PB).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cunden, Tyagaraja S.M. & Doorga, Jay & Lollchund, Michel R. & Rughooputh, Soonil D.D.V., 2020. "Multi-level constraints wind farms siting for a complex terrain in a tropical region using MCDM approach coupled with GIS," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    2. Baseer, M.A. & Rehman, S. & Meyer, J.P. & Alam, Md. Mahbub, 2017. "GIS-based site suitability analysis for wind farm development in Saudi Arabia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1166-1176.
    3. Sofia Spyridonidou & Dimitra G. Vagiona, 2020. "Systematic Review of Site-Selection Processes in Onshore and Offshore Wind Energy Research," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-26, November.
    4. Ali, Shahid & Taweekun, Juntakan & Techato, Kuaanan & Waewsak, Jompob & Gyawali, Saroj, 2019. "GIS based site suitability assessment for wind and solar farms in Songkhla, Thailand," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 1360-1372.
    5. Liang Cui & Ye Xu & Ling Xu & Guohe Huang, 2021. "Wind Farm Location Special Optimization Based on Grid GIS and Choquet Fuzzy Integral Method in Dalian City, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-13, April.
    6. Yildiz, S.S., 2024. "Spatial multi-criteria decision making approach for wind farm site selection: A case study in Balıkesir, Turkey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    7. Peri, Erez & Tal, Alon, 2020. "A sustainable way forward for wind power: Assessing turbines’ environmental impacts using a holistic GIS analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    8. Yasir Ahmed Solangi & Qingmei Tan & Muhammad Waris Ali Khan & Nayyar Hussain Mirjat & Ifzal Ahmed, 2018. "The Selection of Wind Power Project Location in the Southeastern Corridor of Pakistan: A Factor Analysis, AHP, and Fuzzy-TOPSIS Application," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-26, July.
    9. Harper, Michael & Anderson, Ben & James, Patrick A.B. & Bahaj, AbuBakr S., 2019. "Onshore wind and the likelihood of planning acceptance: Learning from a Great Britain context," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 954-966.
    10. Shafiullah, Md & Rahman, Syed Masiur & Mortoja, Md. Golam & Al-Ramadan, Baqer, 2016. "Role of spatial analysis technology in power system industry: An overview," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 584-595.
    11. Bahaj, AbuBakr S. & Mahdy, Mostafa & Alghamdi, Abdulsalam S. & Richards, David J., 2020. "New approach to determine the Importance Index for developing offshore wind energy potential sites: Supported by UK and Arabian Peninsula case studies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 441-457.
    12. Pilar Díaz-Cuevas, 2018. "GIS-Based Methodology for Evaluating the Wind-Energy Potential of Territories: A Case Study from Andalusia (Spain)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, October.
    13. Dehghan, Hassan & Pourfayaz, Fathollah & Shahsavari, Ardavan, 2022. "Multicriteria decision and Geographic Information System-based locational analysis and techno-economic assessment of a hybrid energy system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 189-199.
    14. Gigović, Ljubomir & Pamučar, Dragan & Božanić, Darko & Ljubojević, Srđan, 2017. "Application of the GIS-DANP-MABAC multi-criteria model for selecting the location of wind farms: A case study of Vojvodina, Serbia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 501-521.
    15. Höfer, Tim & Sunak, Yasin & Siddique, Hafiz & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "Wind farm siting using a spatial Analytic Hierarchy Process approach: A case study of the Städteregion Aachen," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 222-243.
    16. Schallenberg-Rodríguez, Julieta & Notario-del Pino, Jesús, 2014. "Evaluation of on-shore wind techno-economical potential in regions and islands," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 117-129.
    17. Sofia Spyridonidou & Georgia Sismani & Eva Loukogeorgaki & Dimitra G. Vagiona & Hagit Ulanovsky & Daniel Madar, 2021. "Sustainable Spatial Energy Planning of Large-Scale Wind and PV Farms in Israel: A Collaborative and Participatory Planning Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-23, January.
    18. Hasan Eroğlu, 2021. "Multi-criteria decision analysis for wind power plant location selection based on fuzzy AHP and geographic information systems," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(12), pages 18278-18310, December.
    19. Mentis, Dimitrios & Siyal, Shahid Hussain & Korkovelos, Alexandros & Howells, Mark, 2016. "A geospatial assessment of the techno-economic wind power potential in India using geographical restrictions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 77-88.
    20. Sotiropoulou, Kalliopi F. & Vavatsikos, Athanasios P., 2021. "Onshore wind farms GIS-Assisted suitability analysis using PROMETHEE II," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:22:p:5946-:d:444942. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.