Site selection of wind power plants in the Example of Kayseri with the help of CBS and AHP Method

The need for renewable energy sources increases greatly with the urbanization process, which has been developing with an unprecedented speed throughout the world, the rapid increase of the population and the requirements for rising energy. Wind energy is one of the most commercially available types of energy that can be produced in many regions of the world, which does not harm the environment and is among the renewable energy sources. Wind Power Plants (WPP) are among the most suitable methods of generating energy for sustainable energy projects. By 2022, it is estimated that 12% of the energy need in the world will be met by wind energy. In this study, 12 main criteria that are necessary after the literature research have been determined in order to establish WPP in the appropriate areas in Kayseri. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, which is one of the Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques, was used to determine the importance order of the criteria. Expert opinions were taken while determining the importance of the criteria and the wind speed, wind capacity and elevation criteria were determined as the 3 most important criteria. Spatial analysis of the determined criteria was done by using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. By combining the analysis results and the order of importance determined by the AHP method, potentially suitable sites were determined for WPP that can be established in Kayseri. Within the scope of Kayseri province, it is necessary to use this potential for wind energy and evaluate it in the most economical and efficient way. For this purpose, it is aimed that the study will be a guide for WPP projects to be established in the future.