Optimal siting of shared energy storage projects from a sustainable development perspective: A two-stage framework

The rapidly increasing installed renewable energy capacity has drawn greater attention to energy storage technology in China. However, the commercial implementation of energy storage is constrained by several obstacles. One potential solution to overcome these constraints is the shared energy storage model. The optimal location layout plays a crucial role in addressing the strategic decision problem of sustainable development. Therefore, a two-stage multi-criteria decision-making model is proposed to identify the optimal locations of shared energy storage projects in this work. In the first stage, the power attraction model is established to determine the macroscopic layout of shared energy storage. In the second stage, a large-scale group decision making (LSGDM) framework is developed to select the optimal micro location. The empirical study conducted in China reveals that Shandong, Henan, and Hebei provinces exhibit greater power flow attraction, from which eight alternatives are selected as site preferences and evaluated by twenty experts. Based on the improved EDAS method, the evaluation score function values of the eight alternatives are 0.497, 0.5, 0.476, 0.499, 0.507, 0.477, 0.506, and 0.498, respectively. Specifically, A5 in Rao Yang County, Hengshui City and A7 in Qing Long Manchu Autonomous County, Qinhuangdao City are preferred locations. Furthermore, the dependability and stability of the model are illustrated through the sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis. This model not only assists in determining the layout of shared energy storage but also contributes to the theoretical study of geographic information system and LSGDM.