Offshore Wind Power Site Selection in Türkiye Using q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Sets and the COPRAS Method

Wind energy has significant potential for electricity/energy generation. At the same time, Türkiye is among the important markets in wind energy production worldwide. With the increasing energy demand and sustainability goals, it can be said that energy production is gradually shifting towards offshore wind farms (OWFs). In this study, three alternative locations in the Aegean Sea region of Türkiye were evaluated to determine the most suitable site for OWF installation based on two main and twelve sub-criteria. The methodology applied in the study generally consists of four stages. In the first stage, a normalized weighted decision matrix was created using the steps of the q-rung Orthopair fuzzy set. In the second stage, the COPRAS method, one of the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, was applied to rank the alternatives and the best alternative was determined to be Bozcaada offshore. In the third stage, a comparison analysis was performed using q-ROF TOPSIS and q-ROF WASPAS methods. As a result of the comparison analysis, it was determined that all three methods gave the same results. In the last stage, the sensitivity of all three MCDM methods was checked by changing the q levels. As a result of the sensitivity analysis, it was determined that the q-ROF COPRAS method was insensitive to changes in q levels, while the q-ROF TOPSIS and q-ROF WASPAS methods were sensitive because the alternative rankings changed as a result of these changes.