Author(s): Ajab Gul Majidi; Victor Ramos; Paulo Rosa Santos; Luciana Das Neves; Francisco Taveira-Pinto
Linked Author(s): Paulo Rosa-Santos, Francisco Taveira Pinto, Victor Gallo Ramos
Keywords: Wind and Wave Energy Farms; Portuguese Energy Concession Zones; Best Worst Method (BWM); Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
Abstract: The combined utilization of offshore wind and wave energy presents several benefits, such as increased and more consistent power output, along with shared infrastructure and maintenance costs, improving both economic feasibility and operational efficiency. However, determining optimal locations for integrated wind-wave farms requires consideration of multiple factors, including resource availability and complementarity, technology resilience under extreme conditions, operational, and seabed characteristics. This study introduces a novel Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) tool that integrates these selection criteria and assesses their relative importance using the Best Worst Method (BWM) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), based on expert input from professionals and academics. The results show that the proposed MCDM system effectively identifies optimal sites for combined offshore wind and wave energy projects. Additionally, the methodology incorporates a hot spot analysis to identify areas of high, moderate, and low potential, while excluding regions with significant environmental or logistical challenges.
Year: 2024