A Study of Deep-Sea Offshore Wind Farm Site Selection Based on CRITIC-G1 and Improved Matter–Element Extension Method: A Case Study in China

In order to promote the rapid global energy transition, deep-sea offshore wind farm (DOWF) projects are receiving more and more attention from various countries. In order to ensure the smooth implementation of offshore wind power projects, the location of wind farms is crucial. How to select a suitable location for DOWF projects is an urgent problem waiting to be solved. This study aims at improving the DOWF siting evaluation system and establishing a DOWF siting decision model. First of all, the DOWF site selection evaluation indicator system was established from six dimensions: environment, society, technology, economy, ecology and risk. Then, the improved CRITIC-G1 method was introduced to assign comprehensive weights to the indicators. This method cannot only reflect the importance of indicators but also determine the amount of information contained in the indicators, making the weights more scientific and objective. Second, a decision model is constructed based on the improved matter–element extension method (IMEM) to evaluate the site selection options. Finally, the evaluation model is applied as an example of DOWF siting in five regions of China, and the cases are subjected to sensitivity and comparative analyses to validate the robustness and feasibility of the framework, which provides help and reference for the research of deep and distant sea offshore wind power siting.