Abstract
In keeping with the urgent goals of maintaining a healthy environment and providing clean energy
alternatives at reasonable prices, Saudi Arabia is moving towards electricity generation using wind.
Selecting optimal wind farm locations is an important challenge in which one seeks to reduce the levelized
cost of electricity. A four-level multi-criteria decision-making model was developed that used the analytic
hierarchy process to consider wind availability, electricity demand, employment costs, maintenance costs,
infrastructure costs, sale prices, and energy production capabilities to optimize wind farm locations. In
addition, this study introduced multiple factors that affect wind farm success. In this study, the analytical
hierarchy process was implemented using mathematical simulations to compare three wind farm locations
in Saudi Arabia.