Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands have been declared a World Heritage site due to their unique biodiversity, which makes them a living museum and a natural laboratory for humankind. However, to fulfill the energy needs of its habitants and foreign visitors, the islands have depended on fossil fuel energies that...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/1/29 |
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| author | Geovanna Villacreses Diego Jijón Juan Francisco Nicolalde Javier Martínez-Gómez Franz Betancourt |
| author_facet | Geovanna Villacreses Diego Jijón Juan Francisco Nicolalde Javier Martínez-Gómez Franz Betancourt |
| author_sort | Geovanna Villacreses |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Galapagos Islands have been declared a World Heritage site due to their unique biodiversity, which makes them a living museum and a natural laboratory for humankind. However, to fulfill the energy needs of its habitants and foreign visitors, the islands have depended on fossil fuel energies that have produced levels of lead and chemical agents that are affecting the islands’ air quality, flora, and fauna. Therefore, zero-carbon initiatives have been created to protect the islands, wherein solar and wind power plants have been studied as reliable alternatives. In this way, Geographical Information Systems based on Multicriteria Decision Methods constitute a methodology that minimizes the destruction and disturbance of nature in order to assess the best location for the implementation of these alternative energy sources. Therefore, by exploring the geographical information along with the Analytical Hierarchical Processes and the Ordered Weighted Average methods, it was possible to identify the potential for solar power plants of 10 MW on each island; likewise, for wind power plants, it was found that the islands possess implementation potential that has been analyzed in the field, showing that the best location is on Baltra Island, but is not limited to it. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:03:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-40983ad17ed74c539505b873ebd25022 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:03:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-40983ad17ed74c539505b873ebd250222023-11-16T15:13:34ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732022-12-011612910.3390/en16010029Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos IslandsGeovanna Villacreses0Diego Jijón1Juan Francisco Nicolalde2Javier Martínez-Gómez3Franz Betancourt4Instituto de Investigación Geológico y Energético (IIGE), Quito 170518, EcuadorInstituto de Investigación Geológico y Energético (IIGE), Quito 170518, EcuadorFacultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Internacional SEK, Quito 170302, EcuadorInstituto de Investigación Geológico y Energético (IIGE), Quito 170518, EcuadorInstituto de Investigación Geológico y Energético (IIGE), Quito 170518, EcuadorThe Galapagos Islands have been declared a World Heritage site due to their unique biodiversity, which makes them a living museum and a natural laboratory for humankind. However, to fulfill the energy needs of its habitants and foreign visitors, the islands have depended on fossil fuel energies that have produced levels of lead and chemical agents that are affecting the islands’ air quality, flora, and fauna. Therefore, zero-carbon initiatives have been created to protect the islands, wherein solar and wind power plants have been studied as reliable alternatives. In this way, Geographical Information Systems based on Multicriteria Decision Methods constitute a methodology that minimizes the destruction and disturbance of nature in order to assess the best location for the implementation of these alternative energy sources. Therefore, by exploring the geographical information along with the Analytical Hierarchical Processes and the Ordered Weighted Average methods, it was possible to identify the potential for solar power plants of 10 MW on each island; likewise, for wind power plants, it was found that the islands possess implementation potential that has been analyzed in the field, showing that the best location is on Baltra Island, but is not limited to it.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/1/29wind powersolar powergalapagosgeographical information systemmulticriteria decision methodsrenewable energy |
| spellingShingle | Geovanna Villacreses Diego Jijón Juan Francisco Nicolalde Javier Martínez-Gómez Franz Betancourt Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos Islands Energies wind power solar power galapagos geographical information system multicriteria decision methods renewable energy |
| title | Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos Islands |
| title_full | Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos Islands |
| title_fullStr | Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos Islands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos Islands |
| title_short | Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Suitable Location for Wind and Photovoltaic Power Plants on the Galápagos Islands |
| title_sort | multicriteria decision analysis of suitable location for wind and photovoltaic power plants on the galapagos islands |
| topic | wind power solar power galapagos geographical information system multicriteria decision methods renewable energy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/1/29 |
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