Site selection for floating photovoltaic systems with multi-criteria decision making methods for Southeastern Anatolia Region

Floating solar panels offer advantages such as increasing energy efficiency, reducing evaporation and not requiring land use thanks to the cooling effect of water. For this reason, the number of floating solar panel applications is increasing day by day in the world and in our country. This study focuses on determining the most suitable location for the installation of floating solar panels in the reservoir areas of hydroelectric power plants located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. In the study, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Multi-Attributive Border Approximation area Comparison (MABAC), Characteristic Objects Method (COMET) and Stable Preference Ordering Towards Ideal Solution method (SPOTIS) were used to determine the most suitable option by considering multiple criteria. MCDM methods are a powerful tool used in a wide range of decision-making processes from personal decisions to state policies. Thanks to these methods, more objective and consistent decisions can be made by determining the importance of different criteria. In the study, the weights of criteria such as solar radiation, annual daylight hours, wind speed, regional development, social acceptance, temperature, topographic elevation, water depth, distance to settlements and grid connections, which are critical to the success of floating solar power plant projects, were determined by expert opinions. As a result of the detailed analysis made according to these criteria, the most suitable hydroelectric power plant was selected and the sustainability of the project was aimed both technically and socially.