A Multi-Criteria Location Selection Model Based on Fuzzy ANP and ≪i>z</i>-Number VIKOR Methods: a Case Study

Initial investment for construction of a power plant is an important issue which technologies and methods are moving forward to minimise the total costs. Therefore, a power plant should be established in a region which will increase the reliability and efficiency with minimum total cost. In this study, location of a solar power plant is optimised with considering a set of criteria including environmental, economic, social and strategic aspects in which energy resource usage will be maximised along with the least cost and the economic growth of country. For this purpose, fuzzy ANP and Z-number VIKOR approaches are used to rank the 20 candidate cities in Iran. The obtained results indicate the efficiency and reliability of this study.