Decision system to support the practitioners in the wind farm design: A case study for Iran mainland

Selecting wind turbines has traditionally been based on designing a new turbine matching the wind profile of a given site. However, this method of selection has proven time-consuming and uneconomical. A more practical approach would be to select the turbine that best matches the wind characteristics of a specific site among the commercially available ones. The assessment of wind turbines, nevertheless, is a complex process that involves different criteria with different degrees of importance such as, economic, technological, and environmental ones. The object of this study is to identify the evaluation criteria that influence the wind turbine selection and then to provide an effective model based on AHP to evaluate wind turbines when developing a wind farm. Based on the proposed model, using the knowledge and experience of experts in an Iranian renewable energy firm, a case study is carried out. In this case, the importance of the factors and the performance of different wind turbines are identified. Results highlights that the most suitable wind turbine for the case is T-1 with rated power of 2000 kW, and cut-in wind speed of 3.5 m/s. The results should prove practical to other decision makers in selecting the most suitable wind turbines. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.