Site Selection of Onshore Wind and Solar Farms With Hydrogen Energy Storage: A Review

Abstract

Onshore wind farms (OWF) and onshore solar farms (OSF) are essential to the global transition to renewable energy. Their complementary generation patterns enhance power supply stability and improve grid reliability. Co-located projects can optimize land use and share infrastructure, reducing costs while increasing efficiency. This systematic literature review (SLR) evaluates the key criteria for identifying suitable OWF and OSF sites by examining studies that have applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM). GIS has been used to analyze spatial constraints and map potential locations, while MCDM has been used to rank sites based on multiple factors. The review also assesses legislative and environmental restrictions to eliminate unsuitable locations, followed by a comprehensive assessment of technical, economic, environmental, and socio-political evaluation criteria to determine the most viable sites. The most commonly identified exclusion zones in the reviewed studies were settlements, protected areas, and water bodies. The most frequently used evaluation criteria included wind and solar resource availability, slope, proximity to the electrical grid, access to transportation networks, distance to demand or residential areas, land-use constraints, and public acceptance. Complementary to the SLR, a critical review of the site selection factors for augmenting hydrogen energy storage (HES) to OWF-OSF sites was conducted. The review highlights key considerations for incorporating hydrogen storage into co-located OWF-OSF systems based on their specific applications in the future.