Optimal location planning to install wind turbines for hydrogen production: A case study

This study aims to evaluate and prioritize ten different sites in Iran\'s Khorasan provinces for the construction of wind farm. After studying the geography of the sites, nine criteria; including wind power, topography, wind direction, population, distance from power grid, level of air pollution, land cost per square meter, rate of natural disasters, and distance from road network-are selected for the analysis. Prioritization is performed using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The developed DEA model is validated through value engineering based on the results of brainstorming sessions. The results show that the order of priority of ten assessed candidate sites for installing wind turbines is Khaf, Afriz, Ghadamgah, Fadashk, Sarakhs, Bojnoord, Nehbandan, Esfarayen, Davarzan, and Roudab. Additionally, the outcomes extracted from the value engineering method identify the city of Khaf as the best candidate site. Six different wind turbines (7.5 to 5,000 kW) are considered in this location to generate electricity. Regarding an approach to produce and store hydrogen from wind farm installed in the location, the AREVA M5000 wind turbine can produce approximately 337 ton-H2 over a year. It is an enormous amount that can be used in transportation and other industries.