Optimal Site Selection for Wind Power Plant Placement: A Case Study of Northern Nigeria using Multi Criteria Decision Making Method

This research aimed to select the optimal wind farm sites in northern Nigeria using multiple criteria decisionmaking (MCDM) methods, specifically the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The study examined 19 states in northern Nigeria based on 12 influential factors: wind speed, annual rainfall, average temperature, relative humidity, population, population density, area, power lines, public transmission networks and substations, road networks, altitude, and estimated capacity. The Shannon Entropy Method (SEM) was used to determine the weight of each criterion. Population density with a value of (0.0868111) had the highest weight, while average temperature with the value of (0.0813357) had the lowest. The MCDM method, TOPSIS, was used for site selection. The TOPSIS results revealed Taraba State as the best location for a wind farm with a performance efficiency of 0.9892. Niger and Borno States followed with performance efficiencies of 0.8881 and 0.8273, respectively. Kano State, with a performance efficiency of 0.0076, was identified as the least desirable state. Overall, despite various factors affecting wind farm development, the research highlights that significant portions of northern Nigeria present strong potential for wind farm suitability. The findings suggest that Taraba State is the optimal location for wind farm development, while Kano State is the least suitable option.