Siting a Solar Power Plant in the Province of Jeddah using Geographic Information System
By Hadiah Salih Alshomrany
Dissertation submitted in part fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geographical Information Systems)
UNIGIS) Salzburg University)
Supervised By: Prof. Naif AlRosan
FACULTY OF ARTS & HUMANITIES KING ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITY
JEDDAH - SAUDI ARABIA
Safar 1439 *November 2017
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Siting a Solar Power Plant in the Province of Jeddah using Geographic Information System
By Hadiah Salih Alshomrany
This thesis has been approved and accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science (Geographic Information Science & Systems) -MSc (GISc)
EXAMINATION COMMITTEE
Signature Field
Rank Name
GIS Dr.
Mohammed AlAmri Internal Examiner
Environmental Designs Prof.
Abdulqader Murad External Examiner
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
Prof.
Naief Al- Rousan Advisor
KING ABDUL-AZIZ UNIVERSITY
20- Safar 1439 H * 9-NOVEMBER-2017 G
ii Disclaimer
By my signature below, I certify that my thesis is entirely the result of my work. I have cited all sources I have used in my thesis, and I have always indicated their origin.
(Hadiah Al-Shomrany, Thursday 9/ November/2017) ( )
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Dedication
I dedicate this work to my great loving, caring father, Prof. Salah Ali Alshomrany.
His care, encouragement, and support guided me through my life.
iv Acknowledgements:
I express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Prof. Naif Mahmoud Al-Rosin whose invaluable guidance, and insightful suggestions have significantly contributed to this production
I also would like to give special thanks to Dr. Mohammed AlAmri, my academic work instructor for the valuable guidance through my study in UNIGIS master program.
Thanks, and appreciation to all faculty members of the Geography and GIS Department in King Abdulaziz University and all the instructors during the study of UNIGIS modules. Especially Dr. Atef Bhjat, Dr. Muhsen Deab, Dr.Amer Althubati, Dr.
Awatif Alharth and special thanks to our classmate Mrs. Randa Alharbi.
Thanks, is also due to the GIS Center in Jeddah Municipality, Ministry of Agriculture Information Technology Management Geographic Information Systems Division and the Electric Company in Jeddah for their cooperation and support in providing this study with the needed information
My thanks to King Abdullah Allah's mercy on him for giving me a scholarship to this great program.
Special thanks to my beloved mother, my kind father, my sisters and brothers as they were the endless source of encouragement and motivation.
Warm thanks to my lovely children Hassan, Abdallah, Ali, Hussam and my Husband Abdulhadi. fmor their constant support and motivation. I also thank my friends who were a great support for me at work.
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Abstract
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, like many other developing countries, plans to be a leading country in using Renewable Energy System (RES) to support and assist the oil industry sector which it entirely depends on currently. It aims to utilize the vast amount of solar radiation already available to them by producing electricity for consumption and export.
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia needs a strategic plan considering every aspect involved in this vital sector. Not doing so will add more expenses to the oil industry sector, which the kingdom is trying to use wisely.
This study aims to site a location for building a solar power plant in the Jeddah Province, using Geographic Information System as a based methodology for evaluating alternative locations for solar power plants. By using multicriteria decision making. criteria of choice that will consider environmental, economic and site related factors. Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) techniques have a broad range of applications. Decision making
problems have become more complicated with the development of technology. Moreover, to make the best decisions more alternatives and compared factors must be considered. At the end of this study, a final layout map will be produced determining the most
appropriate locations in Jeddah Province which fulfill all the spatial and non-spatial conditions for building a solar power plant.
vi Contents and Structure:
Examination Committee
Disclaimer
Dedication Acknowledgement Abstract Table of Contents
List of figures List of tables Abbreviations
CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation 1.2 Problem Description
1.3 Approach 1.3.1 Theory
1.3.2 Method 1.3.3 Tools
1.3.4 Study Area Characteristic.
1.4 Expected results 1.5. Thesis structure
CHAPTER 2 Literature Review 2.1 Geographic Information System (GIS) 2.2 Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS)
2.3 Multicriteria Spatial Decision Support System:
2.4 Site Selection and Feasibility Analysis for Solar Power Systems 2.5 Solar Energy
2.5.1 Environmental Impacts of Solar Energy
2.5.2 Identifying Renewable Energy and Solar energy 2.5.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy
i ii iii iv v vi ix xii xiii 1 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 7 8 9 9 10 10 10 14 17
vii 2.5.4 Uses of solar energy
2.5.5 The Diversity of Solar Radiation on Earth's Surface 2.6 Solar Energy in Saudi Arabia
2.7 Solar Power Plants in Saudi Arabia 2.8 International Solar PV
2.9 An Introduction to Solar Power Electric Systems 2.9.1 Concentrated Solar Power Plants (CSP) 2.9.2 Photovoltaics Plants (PV)
CHAPTER 3 Approach and Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Theoretical Foundation 3.3 Study Area and Data Availability 3.3.1 Irradiation Data 3.3.2 Temperature Data 3.2.3 Land Topography Data 3.2.4 Land Cover Data 3.2.5 Soil Type Data 3.2.5 Accessibility to Roads and Transmission Line Data 3.2 Methods Applied
3.2.1 Identification of Environmental Objectives and Economic Feasibility Criteria 3.2.2 Specification of Criteria and Establishment of Decision Rules 3.2.3 Calculation of Criteria Weight Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process CHAPTER 4 Research Methods Discussion and Results 4.1 Methodology framework
18 19 20 22 25 27 27 28 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 42 43 45 46 46 46 48 52 53
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4.2 The framework methodology implemented in the first Scenario 4.3 The framework methodology implemented in the second Scenario 4.4 The framework methodology implemented in the third Scenario CHAPTER 5 Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1 Results and result analysis
5.1.1 Site selection according to Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) matrix 5.1.2 Site selection according to equal influence Weighted Overlay.
5.1.3 Site selection according to constraint layer 5.2 Conclusions 5.3 Recommendations 5.4 Difficulties Chapter 6 Bibliography Resources Abstract in Arabic Language
54 66 76 80 80 81 84 86 88 90 90 91 92 95
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4 6 11 13 13 16 20 21 21 22 23 23 23 24 26 26 26 26 26 27 29 30 34 38 38 39 40 40 41 43 43 44 45 45 Lists of figures
Figure (1.1): A map of Jeddah Province Figure (1:2): Thesis structure
Figure (2.1): Global energy consumption
Figure (2.2): Global Greenhouse Gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion Figure (2.3): Fuel shares in world electricity generation 2013
Figure (2.4) Solar Radiation Components
Figure (2.5): Saudi Arabia primary energy consumption pattern Figure (2.6): Solar insolation map of the world
Figure (2.7): Solar radiation map for Saudi Arabia
Figure (2.8): King Abdullah University of Science and Technology solar panel Figure (2.9): The Farasan solar power plant
Figure (2.10): Aramco solar parking project Figure (2.11): Alkafji Solar Desalination
Figure (2.12) The total area of solar installation required for 100% electricity Figure (2.13): The first solar station in the world
Figure (2.14) Tengger Desert Solar
Figure (2.15): Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base, China Figure (2.16): Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park
Figure (2.17): Longyangxia Dam Solar Park Figure (2.17): Concentrated solar power plants
Figure (2.18): How Photovoltaic cell generates electricity when irradiated by sunlight Figure (2.19): PV Solar system components source: All solar renewable energy solution
Figure (3.1): Conceptual design for the applied methodology
Figure (3.2); Yearly long-term average sum of (GHI) period 1994-2011) Figure (3.3): Yearly long-term average sum of (DNI) period 1994-2011:
Figure (3.4): Long-term average of air-temperature, period 1994-2012 Figure (3.5): Digital Elevation Model
Figure (3.6): Slope Model of Jeddah Province
Figure:( 3.7) Water Streams of Jeddah Province Figure (3. 8) : Land sat Image of Jeddah Province
Figure (3.9): Land Cover:of Jeddah Province Figure (3.10) :Soil type in Jeddah Province
Figure (3.11): Major road network in Jeddah Province Figure(3. 12) :Electricity transmission lines in Jeddah Province
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56 57 57 57 57 58 58 58 58 59 59 59 59 64 65
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69 72 72 72 72 73 73 73 73 74 74 74 77 78 82 Figure :(4. 1) :Conceptual model
Figure (4.2): GHI Model for Jeddah Province Figure (4.3): DNI Model for Jeddah Province
Figure: (4.4)Annual Temperature of Jeddah Province Figure :(4.5) Distance to Jeddah City
igure: (4.6)Distance from transimission lines in Jeddah Province Figure(4.7): Distance from main roads in Jeddah Province
Figure (4.8):Distance to streams in Jeddah Province Figure (4.9): Distance to the sea in Jeddah Province
Figure (4.10 ): Soil Type model in Jeddah Province Figure (4.11): Land use model in Jeddah provincel
Figure (4.12): Land use model in Jeddah Province Figure (4.13): DIM for Jeddah Province
Figure (4.14): Model Builder for the first scenario1
Figer(4.15): Suitability model for solar power plants depending on Scenirio one in Jeddah Province
Figer(4.16): Suitability model for solar power plants depending on scenario 2 in Jeddah Province
Figure (4.17): Conceptual model of the proposed framework for Scenario 3 Figure (4.18): Study area after constraints in scenirio 3
Figure (4.19): Constraint area Figure (4.20): GHI for study area Figure (4.21): DNI for study area
Figure (4.22): Annual Temperature Model ofstudy area Figure (4.23):Distance to urban area depending on senirio 3 Figure (4.24):Distance from main roads in new study area Figure (4.25): Distance to transimission lines in new study are Figure (4.26): Distance to the water source in study area Figure (4.27): DEM for study area
Figure (4.28): Persentage og slope in n study area Figure (4.29):Modelbuilder for scenirio 3
Figure (4.30) :Land sutability model depending on senirio 3
Figure (5.1): The high suitability locations for solar powers in Jeddah Province based on Scenario 1
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83
84 85
86 87
88 Figure(5.2): The high and moderate to high suitability locations for solar powers in
Jeddah Province based on Scenario 1
Figure (5.3) Area of high and moderate suitability in Jeddah
Figure (5.4) Moderate to high suitability locations for construction of solar plant in Jeddah Province
Figure (5.5) Chart of areas of High suitability in Jeddah Sub-Municipalities
Figure (5.6) Moderate to high and high suitability locations for construction of solar plant in Jeddah Province
Figure (5.7) Chart of areas of High suitabilityin Jeddah Sub-Municipalities based on the Scenario 3
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List of tables:
25 36 42 47 48 49 51 55 55 60 62 65 66 67 68 75 76 79 81 82 83 84 86 87 Table (2.1) The five Largest Solar Power Plants in the World
Table (3.1) Data used for the study, its name, kind scale and original provider Table (3.2): land cover in Jeddah Province
Table (3.3): Criteria and Description
Table(3.4): Saaty’s Nine-Point Weighting Scale Table (3.5): Saaty’s scale of measurement Table (3.6): Matrix factors
Table (4.1) : Rank of cretiria by importance to the area of study Table (4.2): Criteria considered for site selection
Table (4.3 ): Pairwise Comparision Matrix for Scenario 1
Table (4.4): The calculated weights for defined criteria and subcriteria using AHP for Scenario 1 Table(4.5) :Area of Suitable and unsuitable areas for power stations in Jeddah Province
Table (4.6): Pairwise Comparison Matrix for Scenario 2
Table (4.7) : The calculated weights for defined criteria and subcriteria using AHP for Scenario 2 Table (4.8) Suitability and unsuitability areas for power plants
Table (4.9) : Pairwise Comparison Matrix for Scenario 3
Table (4.10): The calculated weights for defined criteria and subcriteria using AHP for Scenario 3 Table(4.11): Suitable and unsuitable areas of for power stations
Table (5.1): Area of land suitability depending on Scenario 1
Table (5.2): Location of most suitable locations for construction of solar power plant Based on Scenario 1 Table (5.3): Area of high and moderate suitability in Jeddah Sub-Municipality based on Scenario 1 Table (5.4): Area of land suitability locations for construction of solar power plant Based on Scenario 2 Table (5.5): Area of moderate to high suitability in Jeddah Sub-Municipalities based on Scenario-3 Table (5.6) Area of moderate to high suitability in Jeddah Sub-Municipalities based on Scenario-3
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Abbreviations:
Analytical Hierarchy Process AHP
Concentrated Solar Power Plants CSP
Digital Elevation Model DEM
Diffuse Horizontal Irradiation DIF
Direct Normal Irradiation DNI
Decision Support System DSS
Elevation above sea level ELE
Global Horizontal Irradiation GHI
Geographic Information System GIS
gigawatt-hour (1,000,000 kWh = 1 GWh) GWh
kilowatt-hour kWh
Multicriteria Decision Analysis MCDA
Air-Temperature at 2 meters TEMP
Spatial Decision Support System SDSS
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Chapter 1:
INTRODUCTION
2 1.1 Motivation:
Even though the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the top leading countries in producing fossil fuel, both government officials and researchers see the advantage of using solar energy to generate electricity. Building a solar power plant in Jeddah Province would be a significant financial and economic success ensuring the availability of a reliable supply of energy for the region. Using GIS will help determine the best location to build this power plant. Researchers see significant benefits from this project and other similar ones after observing the advantage of such power plants in both leading and developing countries. It means using reliable, safe energy for all society. This study could be of importance to decision makers responsible for making decisions for the community, environment and the coming generation.
As more industrial and environmental projects arise, one can notice that some projects have failed to achieve their goals. Lots of projects became unsuccessful due to being in the wrong location. A facility not in the perfect location can be useless or can have harmful effects on the society or the environment. Site selection is a form of GIS analysis tool used to determine the best place (site) for a facility. The objective of this research is to site excellent locations for a solar power plant in the Province of Jeddah by determining relevant criteria necessary in locating the solar energy plant using Geographic Information System (GIS).
Identifying suitable and unsuitable locations using GIS will be evaluated as being a useful siting tool in solar power station site selection.
Electricity is one of the most urgent needs of modern society; it is so essential for all aspects of life. It is necessary for building houses, hospitals, schools, and industrial buildings.
It permeates every aspect our lives. Jeddah, being one of the biggest cities in the kingdom, is a modern city, growing bigger and bigger every day. Living in Jeddah without electricity is impossible. Due to the hot summer weather, it needs electricity more than ever. Pollution is a devastating problem in Jeddah today. Producing energy from a reliable, clean, and continuous source is of utmost importance to everyone who is concerned with the present and future.
3 1.2 Problem Description:
To use Geographic Information System and Multicriteria Decision Support Systems to find a suitable site for building a solar power plant in Jeddah Province, maintaining the
environment.
The objectives of this research are:
*To determine essential criteria for locating a solar energy facility.
*To identify an appropriate location for a solar station depending on a diverse range of criteria that must be employed in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
*To determine the suitable location for the solar power plant using GIS and multicriteria methods to assess the suitability of the locations.
1.3 Approach
This part includes the theory and the methodology applied in this thesis. It is described in chapter three.
1.3.1 Theory:
The Theory depends on GIS site selection tools and Multicriteria Decision Support System.
1.3.2 Method:
A GIS methodology for evaluating potential locations of solar power plant installation was adopted in the research process. The methodology also used Multicriteria Decision Support System which can assist authorities and decision makers to identify the priority sites for a solar energy power plant in Jeddah Province. The methodology depended on defining specific criteria, and each criterion had a weight using the Analytical Hierarchy Matrix. The AHP matrix was designed based on the importance of the criteria as the researcher concludes.
4 1.3.3 Tool
The study depends on the Esri desktop software ArcGIS 10.2. Much data was needed for this project; it was obtained from public, private and government renders. Data was organized digitized and classified. Many spatial analysis tools were used to come up with a final model of the best location for a suitable successful solar power plant. Analytical Hierarchy Process matrix on Excel software was used for mathematical calculation of the criterion weight.
1.3.4 Study Area Characteristic:
Figure (1.1) A map of Jeddah Province
The study area for this research is the Jeddah Province which is most famous for Jeddah City. Jeddah City is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest seaport on the Red Sea, and the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. With a population currently of about 4 million (3,976,368) people(Industry 2010). It is the commercial capital center, due to its location on the Red Sea. It is the primary gate of Pilgrimage and visitors for Makkah the Sacred Capital of Muslims, through which most Muslim pilgrims arrive to
perform Umrah and Haj (pilgrimage) every year. Jeddah Province is situated at the west of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Middle of the Eastern Coast of the Red Sea between
longitudes (38°56'8.172" to 39°33'19.424") East and between latitude (20°50'33.714" and 22°21'7.064") North.(Saud 2015) It lies on the Tihamia Plain bounded by Sarawat Mountains
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from the west and by the Red Sea from the east.Jeddah has an average daily maximum of hot humid climate with maximum temperature rising to 420 C average during summer months (May, June ,July, and August). The average daily minimum is 150 C. which is mild during the winter months of December and January The average annual rainfall of the city of Jeddah is 12 cms usually occurring during.October and April. Humidity is relatively high averages from 75% to 80% all year round.(Yannas and Bowen 2013)
1.4 Expected Results
The expected results are to find the best locations in Jeddah Province for building a solar power plant. By using Geographic Information System approaches, it will determine the most suitable place for constructing a solar power plant. The study will also determine other useful areas in descending order. The research will also position the unsuitable areas for the
establishment of such power plants also using GIS site selection.
1.5 Thesis structure:
The structure of this thesis is as follow
Chapter 1: Introduction Gives background on the research; the problem, the motivation, the aims the methods and the tools used in the research, the study area, and the expected results.
Chapter 2: Literature Review Gives theoretical backroad of the applied research approach.
Chapter 3: Approach and Research Methodology A methodology of the study is explained comprehensively for the site selection procedures of solar power plants. It represents the data and its sources.
Chapter 4: Research Methods gives a full explanation of the project and the implementation.
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations provides a detailed description of the result of the applied methodology. It shows how the research achieved the aims. It analyzes the results and offers conclusions and suggests for future work.
Chapter 6: Bibliography
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1.5 Thesis structure:
Figure (1:2):Thesis structure
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Chapter 2:
LITERATURE REVIEW
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2.1 Geographic Information System (GIS)
GIS is as an organized collection of hardware, software, spatial data, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze and display all forms of geographically referenced data and information (Choudhury 2008). It Is a mapping software that allows users to use maps, charts and report to discover and visualize relationships, trends, and patterns. Of the many functions of GIS, there are three primary uses: data acquisition, spatial analysis, and visualization. Data acquisition involves inputting data after capturing it either directly by field measurements or modifications of already existing data such as topographic maps, digitized maps, aerial photographs, satellite imagery or directly from GPS survey. Then the spatial analysis is performed to analyze topological, geometric, or
geographical properties encoded in the data set. Often the data for spatial analysis come from Geographic Information System that capture data including location information, for example, addresses or latitude/ longitude coordinates (Akerkar 2013). Finally, visualization is the results of the analyzed data on computerized software appearing as maps. This selection of computer-based visualization software starts from simple thematic maps production programs and extends to visions about virtual realities.(MacEachren and Taylor 2013) Although GIS has been around since the 1960s, applications have expanded in the 1990s. Many software systems have now been developed to cover a broad range of data such as Earth and
environmental sciences, natural resource management, terrain modeling, agriculture, forestry, construction engineering, land use policy and development control, population distribution, settlement, transport, education, and health planning. (Christopher Misati Ondieki 2010) . The expanded use of GIS in many areas of resource development has also presented necessitated the need for modern systems that incorporate analytical models with integrated powerful query languages to provide solutions to many spatial problems (Christopher Misati Ondieki 2010).
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2.2 Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS)
:GIS can be defined “as a decision support system involving the integration of spatially referenced data in a problem-solving environment.”(Malczewski 2015) A Spatial Decision support system can be defined as interactive computer systems designed to support a user or a group of users in achieving a higher effectiveness of decision making while solving a
problem.(Malczewski 1999).The primary aim of the system is to support the decision makers by developing their skills and helping facilitate the use of data, models and structured decision processes in decision making. SDSS has a broad range of applications in different fields such as public health, business, transportation, emergency planning, renewable energy, and natural resource management. Some of the decision problems found in these applications are site selection, land use selection, and land use allocation. Decision problems are situations where policymakers want to change the situation to the desired state they see by an efficient method by transforming information into instructions.
2.3 Multicriteria Spatial Decision Support System :
Using GIS technology and multicriteria decision evaluation systems are ideal and logical in siting power plants. MCDA provides a rich collection of techniques and procedures for structuring decision problems, and designing, evaluating and prioritizing alternative decisions.(Malczewski 2015) In recent years, multicriteria evaluation (MCE) methods and Geographical Information System (GIS) have become increasingly popular as a tool for different site selection studies. The combination of GIS and MCE techniques has frequently been used as an essential spatial decision support system (SDSS) for evaluating suitable locations. Using the combination of GIS and MCE techniques validated research on the site selection of solar plants has emerged recently. There is much new research for applying both GIS and MCDS in site selection. The steps involve planning for a feasibility study by first determining the required project aims and defining the problem
10 Second; Identifying the criteria (factors/constraints).
Third; Standardizing the factors/criterion scores.
Fourth; Determining the weight of each factor.
Fifth; Aggregating the criteria.
Sixth; Validating /verifying the result.
2.4 Site selection and feasibility analysis for solar power systems:
Siting a renewable energy project is a spatial planning problem that requires accurate economic, social, and environmental impact analysis which depends on geospatial data. The plan also calls for an extensive stakeholder process to engage stakeholders, decision makers, and energy planners and gain full support for project implementation.(DiSanto 2011) It is still complicated to determine an excellent location for a solar power plant. The decision of power plant sites has a strong relationship with the plant's security which should meet the
meteorology requirement, economics requirement, environment and society requirement.
Using GIS technology is a powerful way to analyze spatial data and is used in many industries to support decision making. Having required skills in using GIS technology is essential in analyzing, interpreting and applying scenarios to the data of the study area.
2.5 Solar Energy
2.5.1 Environmental Impacts of Solar Energy
Energyinfluences many aspects of our lives it is almost impossible to live without a continuous source of energy. Heat, light, and power produced from electricity are essential needs for all humanity to improve the quality of life. Electricity runs appliances that need the energy to do specific and precise jobs making living easier, healthier, safer and more
comfortable.
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Energy consumption rises, and so does the need for a constant and growing demand for fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. There is a need for a new source of energy that is safe, clean and constant. Renewable energy is becoming more popular around the world. It is not only a clean source of energy free of emissions caused by fossil fuel, but it is also a reliable continues source of low-cost energy. Solar energy is one source of
renewables emerging as a solution to conventional energy that is dependent on fossil fuel. It is environmentally friendly and profitable. The figure (2.5) shows the increasing demand for energy globally accelerating in high rates.
Figure (2.1): Global energy consumption. Source ( http://www.cyclicco2r.eu/faq)
This study is going to concentrate on sitting a location for a power plant depending on
sustainable energy. Sustainable energy can be defined as the combination of providing energy equally to all people and protecting the environment for the next generations. Sustainable energy has become in high demand recently. Significant environmental and economic factors have begun to prove that it is urgent to make a change and stop using fossil fuel. These factors can be categorized as following
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1-Climate change and global warming have consistently changed the natural composition of the Earth atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are increasing at an alarming rate due to the
consumption of fossil fuels and conversion of forests to agriculture land. To reduce the greenhouse gas emission to zero-emission, it has become essential to use zero-emission renewable fuels like solar, wind, geothermal and renewable powered fuel cells.(Gevorkian 2012) Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased nearly 30%, methane concentration has more than doubled, and nitrous oxide concentration has risen by about 15%. These increases in greenhouse gas emissions have enhanced the heat-trapping capability of Earth’s atmosphere.(Gevorkian 2012) Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases expect to grow leading to a rise in global surface temperature causing a shortage in water resources affecting agriculture by causing drought and extreme heat. The increase in summer heat will cause more forest fire releasing more CO2 into the air. Human health risks will arise due to the increase in temperatures and air pollution. By 2100 thermal expansion of the ocean and glacial melting are likely to cause a 0.5 to 1.5-meter rise in sea level. That could adversely affect wildland plant and animal species. Climate change leading to hot summers will lead to an increase in demand for electricity. In figure (2.6) it shows that electricity and heat generation produce globally 41%
of CO2 emissions. The burning of coal, oil, and natural gas, for electricity and heat, is the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions. So, one can see the significant advantage of using clean energy for producing electricity. It will cut down CO2 emissions by almost the half.
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Figure (2.2): Global Greenhouse Gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion.
Source: CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion (2012), International Energy Agency.
http://whatsyourimpact.org/greenhouse-gases/carbon-dioxide-emissions
2- Until now electric power plants use gas, coal, and petroleum. Millions of Tons of these resources are needed for the generation of these plants to produce more electricity. More countries with population and economic growth demand more use of natural resources not just to generate electricity but for use in transportation and industrial field. Worldwide about 40% of coal production is used to produce electricity.
Figure (2.3): Fuel shares in world electricity generation 2013
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration| International Energy Outlook 2016
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In figure (2.7) more than 79% of the resources producing electricity still depends on fossil fuel. Globally every year we currently consume the equivalent of over 11 billion tons of oil in fossil fuels. Crude oil reserves are vanishing at the rate of 4 billion tons per year; if we carry on at this rate, our known oil deposits will be gone by 2052. (Komoto 2015) Fossil fuel also encourages fluctuation of prices of energy sources. In recent years, we saw the increase and decrease of petrol prices depending on political and economic factors Depending. on supply and demand prices escalate unpredictably.
The Government and research institute officials have plans to reduce the use of fossil fuel to save it for the coming generations by using renewable continuous clean energy. Renewable fuels are by no means a recent phenomenon. In fact, the international revolution was launched with renewable fuels. Until energy conference in 1973 and 1974, the United States and the rest of the world had been using energy without grave concern for years.(Gevorkian 2012) We have been forced to realize that the global fossil fuel will one day run out and that we would have to find an alternative source of energy. (Gevorkian 2012)
3- The third driver of energy demand are population, economic activity, and technology performance. based on these fundamentals, this century is likely to see major shifts in energy demand and development (Lovegrove 2012). Virtually all this projected population growth will occur in the developing world. By comparison, the present world population is 7 billion and was only 2 billion as recently as 1930(Lovegrove 2012). Increasing population needs increasing stable, safe, constant environment-friendly energy.
2.5.2 Identifying Renewable Energy and Solar energy
"Renewable energy is an energy resource that is naturally regenerated over a short time scale and derived directly from the sun (such as thermal, photochemical, and photoelectric),
indirectly from the sun (such as wind, hydropower, and photosynthetic energy stored in biomass), or from other natural movements and mechanisms of the environment (such as geothermal and tidal energy). Renewable energy does not include energy resources derived from fossil fuels, waste products from fossil sources, or waste products from
inorganic sources; Solar energy is a preferable kind of renewable energy since it depends on the sun the biggest source of energy for Earth.(Swift 2015)
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Solar energy is electromagnetic energy transmitted from the sun (solar radiation). The amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth is equal to one billionth of total solar energy generated or equivalent to 420 trillion kilowatt-hours.(Gevorkian 2012). Insolation or irradiance is the amount of solar radiation incident on the Earth’s surface at any given time.
By doing some calculations and examining radiation measurements, it is possible to calculate the amount of solar energy obtained from the sun at a given moment (of a day, month or year) and of a place on Earth. Solar recourse is the amount of solar insolation a site receives,
usually measured in kWhm-2. Which is equivalent to the number of peak sun
hours.(Gevorkian 2012). Solar resource evaluation is a necessary first step for the study of any energy system; it is important to get information from solar resources for a specified location meant to be used for a big project to get the perfect location by using site selection.
The Solar Components Radiation can be transmitted, absorbed, or scattered by an intervening medium in varying amounts depending on the wavelength. Complex interactions of the Earth’s atmosphere with solar radiation result in three fundamental broadband components of interest to solar energy conversion technologies:(Sengupta 2015)
• Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) Solar (beam) radiation available from the sun disk.
• Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance (DHI) Scattered solar radiation from the skydome (not including DNI)
• Global horizontal irradiance (GHI) the Geometric sum of the DNI and DHI (total hemispheric irradiance). (Komoto 2015)
16 Figure (2.4) Solar Radiation Components
GHI = DNI *cos(SZA) + DHI (Lovegrove 2012) SZA is the Solar Zenith Angle
During a clear day (no clouds or haze) and far from the equator, DNI is greater than (or almost equal to) GHI.
Measuring all three components provides measurement redundancy. Using GIS and remote sensing to map solar resources is possible, National and international public and private laboratories are publishing solar maps for scientific and economic research. Solar radiation resource data are the foundation of information for programs of large-scale deployment of solar energy technologies. In concern of this investigation, a solar map of the province of Jeddah is to be used for site selection of solar power plants in the study area. The solar map was obtained from Solar GIS Solar resource data which was calculated by modeling
approaches, which are based on the use of satellite data, data from atmospheric and meteorological models, and ground measurements, namely:
Satellite data: Meteosat (© EUMETSAT), MTSAT (© JMA) and GOES (© NOAA) missions
Data from MACC atmospheric model (© ECMWF) and CFSR/GFS meteorological models (© NOAA NCEP)
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Solar resource and aerosol ground measurements, which are used for adaptation and validation of models. Solar resource data can also be obtained from ArcGIS using the DEM model of the study area using the solar radiation analysis tools in ArcGIS Spatial Analyst.
2.5.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy
The benefits of an energy source must be viewed not only regarding its economic but also in terms of its short and long-term effects on ecology and human lifestyle. (Gevorkian 2012) It is evident that solar energy has many advantages over other kinds of energy resource such as nonrenewable like fossil fuel, nuclear and other sources. The best advantages are listed as : Solar energy is
* Renewable: Solar energy is a renewable energy source.
* Abundant, The surface of the Earth, receives 120,000 terawatts of solar radiation (sunlight) – 20,000 times more power than what is needed to supply the entire world.(Lovegrove 2012)
* Sustainable: That means that solar energy cannot be over consumed.
* Environmentally Friendly: Harnessing solar energy does not cause pollution.
However, there are emissions with the manufacturing, installation, and transportation, of solar energy systems but it minimal compared to most conventional power sources.
* Good Availability: Solar energy is available to all. Not only sunbelt countries get enough sunlight, for example, but Germany also has the highest capacity of solar power in the world.
* Reduces Electricity Costs:
* Many Applications: Solar energies can be used for different purposes. It can be used to generate electricity in places that lack a grid connection,
* Silent: There are no dynamic parts involved in most applications of solar energy systems therefore, no noise is associated with them.
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* Low Maintenance: Most of today`s solar power systems do not require much maintenance.
Solar cells usually require cleaning a couple of times a year. Solar manufacturers give a 20 or 25-year warranties with their solar panels.
*Technology is Improving: Technological progress are continually being made in the solar energy industry. Innovation in nanotechnology and quantum physics has the potential to triple the electrical output of solar panels.(Lovegrove 2012)
Some of the disadvantages of solar energy and its applications:
*Construction/installation costs can be high: It is expensive to install and construct solar power plant
* Intermittent: Not available at night or under clouds.
* Energy Storage is Expensive: Requires storage or grid connection for continuous round- the-clock use which is expensive.
*Associated with Pollution:
* Exotic Materials: Certain solar cells require materials that are expensive and rare in nature.
This is particularly the case for thin-film solar cells that are based on either cadmium telluride or copper indium gallium selenide.(Gevorkian 2012).
* Requires Space: Power density, or watt per square meter (W/m²), is essential when looking at how much power can be derived from a particular area of real estate of an energy source.
Low power density indicates that too much property is required to provide the power we demand at a reasonable price.(Gevorkian 2012)
*Relatively new technology involved.
2.5.4 Uses of solar energy:
Sunlight can be converted into other forms of energy; it can be converted into electricity directly using devices based on semiconductor materials called Photovoltaic. Solar light can also be converted into heat. This application is called solar thermal energy; solar energy can be converted into chemical energy as well. This is what is referred to as solar fuels. For
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producing solar fuels, Photovoltaics and regenerative fuel cells can be combined. Sunlight can also be directly converted into fuels using photoelectrochemical devices (Smets, Jäger et al.
2016) Therefore solar energy can be used directly as it has been used ever since man lived on Earth or to convert it to other forms of energy. Solar energy and its transformation used to generate electricity and heat for residential and industrial purposes as electricity and thermal energy are again converted to other kinds of energy like Kinetic energy, heat, and light.
2.5.5 The diversity of solar radiation on Earth's surface
Solar radiation at the Earth's surface varies from the solar radiation incident on the Earth's atmosphere. Cloud cover, air pollution, the latitude of a location, and the time of the year can all cause variations in solar radiance at the Earth's surface.(Honsberg 1999)
To achieve the goal of getting the full advantage of the solar radiation for solar projects to be successful certain criteria’s or factor as well as the excepted amount solar radiation should be realized and analyzed carefully, these criteria are as follows:
1 - Weather of the area.
2- Land, topography, and soil.
3 - Water availability.
4 - Infrastructure :( Grid access, Interconnection with other plants and processes, Roads and highways).
5 - Environmental impact assessment.
6 - Population and labor.
7 - Land use and availability.
A full study of these criteria’s is necessary to outline the area best for building a solar power plant that would satisfy economic and environmental conditions.
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2.6 Solar Energy in Saudi Arabia and Global:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia produces 239.2 billion kWh of electricity every year being the nineteenth country in electricity production compared to the world and consuming 190.9 billion kWh being the twentieth country compared to the world in electricity consumption (IBP 2015) It entirely depends on fossil fuel for producing electricity not importing electricity from nor exporting it to any other country. Using over 3 million barrels of oil per day
domestically, Saudi Arabia is already the largest global consumer of petroleum for power production. About a third of its daily oil consumption is used to fuel power plant .(Said Nachet 2015)
Figure (2.5): Saudi Arabia primary energy consumption pattern (in Million of toe) (Said Nachet 2015)
Saudi Arabia aims to obtain one-third of its power (54 GWR) from renewable sources by 2032 that is by investing $109 Billion to support its target (IBP 2015).The Saudi government has announced a plan to reach 41 GW from solar power by 2032. Politics and researchers in the energy sector have plans to introduce renewable energy for freeing up finite oil and gas resources for export and other industrial uses, for extending the availability of the kingdom resources for future generations and as to help meet the kingdoms ever-growing energy needs.
Renewable energy industries are expected to create employment for locals while assisting in the national development of human capital,(Meneghello 2013). The environment will benefit since renewable energy is free of emissions and pollution.
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Saudi Arabia has a few programs that produce electricity using solar power source.
However, until now those solar projects haven’t risen to the levels of global production mainly due to several obstacles including the vast availability of oil with the low-cost, the kingdom being a developing country still importing technology and as solar energy
technology is a new developing technology systematically changing. King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals introduced solar energy projects in 1960. In 1978, the Saudi government established an Agency called (The Saudi Arabia Solar Energy Agency). The government by that time had allocated a budget of one hundred million dollars for solar energy research. The Saudi government had recognized the vast energy supply it can get by using solar energy. It is area more 2,150,000 km2, it gets daily more than one million kWh of solar energy, that energy is more than the energy supplied from an electric power that
produces 400 million megawatts of electricity yearly and consumes 10 billion barrels of petrol.
Saudi Arabia is geographically strategic because it is located in the so-called sunbelt, and it has public desert land and clear year-round skies. This will lead it to become one of the largest solar photovoltaic energy producers. The average energy from the sunlight falling on Saudi Arabia is 2200 thermal kWh/ m2 (Gandayh 2013) Average solar radiation in Saudi Arabia varies between a maximum of 8.004 kWh/m2 at Bisha. The higher values of solar radiation ( >5 kWh/m2) are observed in most parts of the southern region of the country (Kazmi 2014)
Figure (2.6) Solar insolation map of the world Figure (2.7) Solar radiation map for Saudi Arabia
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2.7 Solar power plants in Saudi Arabia :
The installed solar capacity in Saudi Arabia is still only 12 MW. The installed capacity in Germany already exceeds 32,000 MW. This means that the installed capacity in Germany is more than 2,600 times as large as in Saudi Arabia.(Dorp 2016) Today there is a new
monitoring network in Saudi Arabia developed by King Abdallah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE).The monitoring network gathers solar resources from 30 stations distributed over the country by that it can identify the best location to build solar power plants. Governmental policy maker K.A.CARE has set a 41 GW installed solar capacity target for 2032 of which 16 GW should be PV, of which 6GW is targeted to be installed before 2020. Additional to the K.A.CARE objectives, the national oil company(Dorp 2016) Saudi Aramco has its Gigawatt (PV solar) target.
Saudi Arabia has some big solar projects already running now here are some examples:
1-*The solar village project site is located 50 km northwest of Riyadh and supplied between 1 and 1.5 MWh of electric energy per day to three rural villages. It was the biggest project of its type in 1980 and cost $18 million(Gandayh 2013).
2-*At the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, 2 MW PV cells were installed. This solar power plant is located in Thuwal, north of Jeddah, and started operations in May 2010. It has 9300 modules of 215 Wp over 11,600 m2 and is intended to produce 3300 MWh of clean energy annually while preventing 1700 tons of annual carbon emissions. The total cost of this Photovoltaic grid-connected (PVGC) power plant was approximately 65 million Saudi Riyals
Figure (2.8) King Abdullah University of Science and Technology solar panel
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3* The Farasan solar power plant, with a capacity of 500 kW, was constructed in Saudi Arabia over an area of 7700 m. This solar energy plant is a stand-alone system intended to feed Farasan Island, south of Saudi Arabia, and has been in operation since June
2011.(Sørensen 2015)
Figure (2.9) The Farasan solar power plant
4* The world’s largest solar parking project, the North Park Project located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, at the headquarters of the oil company Saudi Aramco, has a 10 MW carport system with a capacity to cover 200,000 m2. (Behnassi and McGlade 2017)
5*The Al-Khafji solar desalination project, near the border with Kuwait, will become the first large-scale solar-powered seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant in the world, producing 30,000 m3 of water per day for the towns of 100,000 inhabitants. Al-Khafji is the first phase in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) solar energy program to reduce desalination costs. For the second phase, construction of a new plant to produce
300,000 m3 of water per day is planned by 2015, and the third phase will involve several more plants by 2018.(Shakweh 2013)
Figure (2.10) Aramco solar parking project Figure (2.11) Alkafji Solar Desalination
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The total area of solar installation that is required to cover 100% of electricity consumption is equal to an area of 53.1 by 53.1 kilometers. Today, 141 GW (sufficient to cover 100% of Saudi Arabia's electricity needs) of PV installations would require an investment of around 141 billion euros. 226,2 billion kWh is equivalent to 139 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Selling this oil equivalent for 25 years at around $105 per barrel on the market would generate 270 billion euros of revenue.(Dorp 2016)
Figure (2.12) the total area of solar installation required for 100% electricity
The barriers to introducing and using solar energy mainly consists of technical difficulties that relate to the energy power system including generation, transmission, and distribution.
Perhaps the recognizable infrastructure barrier facing renewable energy developers involves obstacles to connecting to the transmission grid. Without the grid connection, electricity generated from solar energy sources cannot be transmitted or distributed and thus will not be utilized.(Alhouti 2013) Another point, which must be considered in the development of the policy, is financial limitations. High capital costs and unexplored markets impose risks that may deter private sector investment from entering the market and will pose a fundamental challenge in raising funds to finance solar projects.(Alhouti 2013)
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2.8 International Solar PV
Arco Solar built the first PV solar project at Lugo near Hesperia, California at the end of 1982.(Arnett. 1984) See figure (2.18).Internationally there is a race between many countries in obtaining big photovoltaic projects. Solar has become the world’s favorite new type of electricity generation, according to Global Data showing that more solar Photovoltaic (PV) capacity is being installed than any other generation technology. (Blakers 2017) Now
hundreds of PV projects are constructed worldwide to produce electricity. China took the lead with an installed capacity of 34.5GW of solar installations in 2016, and with that the Asia- Pacific region became the largest solar-powered region in the world with a total of 147.2GW of installed solar capacity, representing 48% of the global solar market share.(Qureshi 2017).In the table (2.1) there is a list of the top five largest PV solar stations in the world in the year 2017.
Table (2.1) The five Largest Solar Power Plants in the World
Capacity:
Location PV Solar Station
1,547MW Zhongwei, Ningxia, China
Tengger Desert Solar Park 1
1,000MW Datong, Shanxi, China
Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base 2
950MW Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India
Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park 3
850MW Gonghe, Qinghai, China
Longyangxia Dam Solar Park 4
648MW Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu, India
Kamuthi Solar Power Project 5
Source :(Zazoff 2017)
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Figure (2.13): the first solar station in the world Figure (2.14) Tengger Desert Solar Park
Figure (2.15): Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base, China
Figure (2.16): Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park Figure (2.17):Longyangxia Dam Solar Park
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2.9 An Introduction to Solar Power Electric Systems:
Many power plants today use fossil fuels as a heat source to boil water. The steam from the boiling water rotates a large turbine, which activates a generator that produces
electricity.(Wold, Hunter et al. 2009) In concentrated solar energy (CSP) sunlight is used to heat water. Light can be converted to electricity directly using Photovoltaics, (PV).By solar cells.The CSP technologies are referred to as solar thermal or thermoelectric technologies, while PV technologies are known as solar electric or photoelectric technologies. There are similarities and difference between the CSP and the PV plants.
2.9.1 Concentrated Solar Power Plants (CSP):
Figure (2.17) Concentrated solar power plants
CSP systems concentrate radiation of the sun to heat a liquid substance which is then used to drive a heat engine and drive an electric generator. This indirect method generates alternating current which can be easily distributed on the power network. CSP systems are capable of storing energy by use of Thermal Energy Storage technologies and using it at times of low or
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no sunlight. Current CSP plants can store thermal energy for up to 16 hours, which means that their production profile can match the demand profile (just like a conventional power plant) (Gaspar 2013) Thus CSP systems are far more attractive for large-scale power generation as thermal energy storage technologies are far more efficient than electricity storage
technologies; CSP systems can produce excess energy during the day and store it for use over the night. Thus energy storage capabilities can not only improve financial performance but also dispatch ability of solar power and flexibility in the power network. CSP systems capture the direct beam component of solar radiation DNI; they are not able to use radiation that has been diffused by clouds or dust or other factors (diffuse or scattered radiation). This makes them best suited to areas with high percentage of clear sky days, in locations that do not have smug or dust.(Lovegrove 2012) Because the performance of a CPV system is dependent on the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) so the number of regions ideal for CPV system
installations is limited, but the middle east and especially Saudi Arabia is ideal since DNI is available. The Global Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) market will see a major growth spurt in the next five years, with cumulative installed capacity to jump from 357.9 MW in 2014 to 1,043.96 MW by 2020, according to a new report from U.K. research and consulting firm global data
2.9.2 Photovoltaics Plants (PV)
PV plants or systems are plants that produce electricity from sunlight (Direct, reflected or diffused) and not sun heat like CSP plants (PV systems do not produce or store thermal energy as they directly generate electricity). That is accomplished by transferring sunlight energy (photons) into electricity by semiconductor elements called Photovoltaic cells or solar cells. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) power systems are essentially solar power energy harvesting systems that absorb packets of solar energy called photons. These photons are used to energize electrons in a semiconductor device, which creates a flow of electrons or electric current.(Gevorkian 2012) PV systems have some unique characteristics as electrical energy generating systems which are:
1-Solar power generation can be considered a perpetual energy system.
2- Because most high-efficiency PV power systems are fabricated from silicon or glass based materials and are hermetically sealed and encapsulated, they are guaranteed to last for 25 years..(Gevorkian 2012)
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3- PV technology needs little maintenance as it is guaranteed to last at least 25 years. (It could have an extended life of 50 years.)
Figure (2.18): How Photovoltaic cell generates electricity when irradiated by sunlight
The PV plants can be categorized into two main typologies from the installation mode: stand- alone and grid-connected. The stand-alone PV plant refers to PV plants which are not joined to the electrical grid of the local energy utility company. This kind of PV plants is usually used to feed small electrical load. Stand-alone PV plants have a storage battery with stabilizer.
The second one refers to the PV plants directly connected to the electrical grid of the local energy utility company. In this case, there is no battery because the electrical storage is provided just by the electrical grid.(Silvano Verguraa 2011)
A PV Solar system typically consists of four primary components a PV solar panel, Batteries, Inverter and a Charge Controller The batteries in a solar PV system stores the energy produced by the PV solar panel and delivers it o the inverter which supplies the load. The charge controller is to protect the battery bank from overcharge.
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Figer(2.19): PV Solar system components source: All solar renewable energy solution.
For a PV plant to perform the best, investors and organizations responsible for construction must have a broad understanding of performance and operation of solar cells. These critical parameters affect the output of the PV power system.
1 **High-temperature effects the solar system negatively. Although intense sunlight is needed, solar panels may have a reduction in their efficiency equal to 1% for every degree Celsius rise in temperature.
2 * Humidity has a positive effect, helping to cool down the temperature
.3 *Wind has a positive effect especially when hot. However, too windy conditions could cause the plant breakdown.
4* Reflected sunlight from other sources will have a positive effect as well.
In the 1980s, CSP seemed set to surpass solar PV. While solar power relied on expensive solar modules often used in small consumer electronics than in power plants, CSP the used tried and true technology borrowed from coal plants to produce vapor and drive a turbine. Twenty-Five years later, the face of solar energy has
changed dramatically. In 2010 PV had a global installed capacity of approximately 35 GW, compared with CSP’s 1.5 GW.(Gaspar 2013) Two factors have contributed the most to the ascendancy of PV over CSP they are:
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1. Market Size: PV can be installed anywhere CSP is installed. Because CSP depends on direct solar radiation only, while PV can benefit from direct or reflected solar radiations. CSP also needs access to water (just like a coal plant) and large-scale deployments (typically more than 20 MW, compared with the few kW of a residential PV system). Consequently, there are more technology companies, investors, and policymakers interested in PV than in
CSP.(Gaspar 2013)
2- Technological simplicity: PV has less technical issues since there has been a significant shift in the developing process. CSP has many technical issues to solve such as improving the optical efficiency of collectors, researching new heat transfer fluids or obtaining higher
efficiency turbines.
CSP has one significant advantage over PV, which is dispatch capability. Current CSP plants can store thermal energy and PV still can’t. Until the PV industry solves the storage problem, CSP will become the solar technology of choice.
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Chapter 3:
APPROACH AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
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3.1 introduction
For this research, a large amount of data was obtained from different sources and providers.
Then Esri ArcGIS 10.2.1 was used to process the data for the study area to select appropriate sites for constructing a solar power plant. So, a GIS-based analysis requires an input of the most reliable data sets available from public or private GIS and remote sensed data providers like satellite images, Digital Elevation Models, Global and Direct Irradiance data, topography, road systems, electric grids, surface water, and hydrological maps.
Then a GIS-based Multicriteria Decision Support System, fundamentally based on several sets of physical, environmental and socio-economic criteria is used to define optimum geographic locations. The GIS-based multicriteria approaches are proven to be an efficient decision support tool for locating optimum spatial sites, by utilizing a GIS-based multicriteria schema. GIS can be defined “as a decision support system involving the integration of
spatially referenced data in the problem-solving environment.” (Malczewski 2015) Several GIS-based multicriteria approaches have been proposed and utilized, such as binary overlay (Boolean logic), Analytic Hierarchy Process (APH), and the weighted linear combination.
The AHP is a decision-making procedure. AHP is an intuitive method for formulating and analyzing decisions which use the following four steps in solving a problem:
1. Structuring the decision problem into a hierarchical model 2. Obtaining the weights for each criterion,
3. Finding the score of each alternative for each criterion, 4. Obtaining an overall rating for each alternative. (Mateo 2012).
For performing the AHP Multicriteria tasks, an Excel Templet was used. All mathematical calculations were done directly.
In this study, PV power plants will be the suggested power plantation and the conditions chosen are better suited than for CSP. Almost similar results would be obtained for CSP’s, except for the advantages of PV over CSP, PV was chosen for this study.
