skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A Geospatial Framework Using Multicriteria Decision Analysis for Strategic Placement of Reserve Generators in Puerto Rico

Journal Article · · IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management

Extreme events such as hurricanes cause damages to various infrastructures, including power supply and transportation networks. Restoration of power supply services after extreme events is crucial for disaster response and recovery activities. With damages to transportation and other supply chain networks following extreme events, energy utility companies face significant challenges in achieving faster restoration of power supply services. This was the case for the utility companies in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017. One option for the utility companies in such circumstances will be to temporarily connect impacted populations to reserve generators, strategically located before the event, for quicker restoration of services. The objectives of this article are to: 1) develop a geospatial framework using a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach for placement of reserve generators and 2) identify strategic locations using 12 criteria representing physical, socioeconomic, environmental, and built environment conditions in Puerto Rico for the placement of reserve generators. Five different approaches are used to determine weights for the 12 criteria used in the MCDA approach. The geospatial framework developed in this article is comprehensive, which along with the weight determination approaches could be adapted to identify potential sites for the placement of additional energy infrastructures, including transformers, mobile stations, and microgrids, to power a city during extreme events.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Electricity (OE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1836302
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1649598; OSTI ID: 1861106
Journal Information:
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management; ISSN 0018-9391
Publisher:
Institute of Electrical and Electronics EngineersCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 6 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science