ABSTRACT
This research presents the application of multi-attribute decision-analysis methodology for selection the most suitable sites in a region off the West coast of Ireland. A large area off the West Irish coast is defined and separated into coordinate grids. The environmental, wind potential and facilities factors are first analyzed in order to remove sites that fall within restricted areas. Following this, data is gathered for the remaining sites in terms of a set of logistic, facilities & environmental, and met-ocean criteria. The logistical criteria consist of such factors as, depth, distance to ports and distance to substations. The met-ocean criteria provide a data analysis of the wind, wave, tidal and current conditions of each site between 2011 and 2016, and the facilities & environmental criteria analyses the proximity of the sites to such criteria as Marine Protected Areas and Special Areas of Conservation. The compiled data is then applied to a Multiple Attribute Decision-Analysis (MADA) algorithm which aggregates the data for each site and produces a utility ranking in order to determine the most suitable site for floating offshore wind. Validation is conducted through benchmark testing.
