Optimal Site Selection For Solar Farms Using Gis-Based Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Evaluation (Mce) And Nasa Power Data In The Georgetown Conurbation

• Main Author: Bandira, Puteri Nur Atiqah
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: P1-1091 Philology. Linguistics(General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.usm.my/63039/

The global population is experiencing the effects of climate change, such as an increased risk of climate disaster risks and extreme weather events. Around 46% of global CO2 emissions come from the energy industry. Thus, forcing the sector to opt for renewable energy to reduce emissions. Identifying optimal solar farm locations is vital in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SGD) No. 7 targets, addressing energy security, energy accessibility, and energy affordability. However, as solar energy is highly dependent on a location’s climate conditions, the analysis would require a large amount of climate data, which is usually a limitation for developing countries such as Malaysia. The NASA Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) provides the required climate data, but before using it in site selection analysis, its ability to estimate local-scale climate data must be assessed. This study uses the GIS-based fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) model and NASA POWER data to identify the best solar farm sites in Georgetown Conurbation, Northern Peninsular Malaysia.