A GIS Integrated Framework for Optimal Planning of Ethiopian Onshore Wind Power Plants under Multiple Constraints

Abstract

The urgency to accelerate the green energy transition and enhance the resilience of Ethiopian power system is underscored by national policies and strategic development goals. This paper investigates a comprehensive multi-stage planning framework for the integration of wind power plants (WPPs) into Ethiopian transmission network, with a focus on the optimal selection of sites and capacities. Wind resource potential across wind-rich regions in Ethiopia is first analyzed by using data from Global Wind Altas system. Furthermore, to reduce computational complexity, potential WPP sites are pre-screened using ArcGIS, based on multiple geospatial and environmental indicators including wind speed, land use, proximity to roads and transmission lines, and distances from settlements and protected areas. A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is employed to evaluate and score candidate locations. In addition, a three-stage planning model is then formulated to optimize WPP capacities by minimizing total investment cost, operational cost, and the cost of unserved energy, while incorporating technical constraints such as generation limits, voltage and current magnitudes, and branch power flow. Finally, case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in identifying optimal siting and sizing decisions, offering economically and technically viable solutions to support Ethiopian sustainable power system development.