Table 5.
The criteria used in the paper and their definition.
| Dimensions | Criteria | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| C1. Wind resources | C11. Wind speed and its distribution status | Based on the average annual wind force, the wind and monsoon conditions in places where wind farms are constructed. The wind speed computation would be based on long-term representative wind speed fluctuations in the area and investigated on site |
| C12. Effective wind hours | Refers to accumulative hours of practical usage of wind power per year (h) | |
| C2. Environmental impact | C21. Nautical life coordination | The distance between OWPS and marine life migration determines the degree of coordination with sea area planning for marine life. Depending on the geographical context, the generator machine's selection and installation would disrupt the original seabed during construction. At the same time, the turbine would generate noise pollution throughout its rotation, resulting in low-frequency sound waves that would be harmful to marine species engaged in predation or migratory behaviors |
| C22. Nautical environmental influence | The potential for OWPS to degrade the quality of the marine ecology and biodiversity | |
| C3. Construction and maintenance conditions | C31. Seawater depth | The suitability of OWPS building also takes into account the depth of the sea, the distance from the coast, and the width of the shore |
| C32. Undersea geological conditions | This criterion assesses regional geological conditions and construction stability based on acquired data and geological prospecting | |
| C33. Marine conditions | Characteristics of the sea area like waves, tidal current, temperature, storm surge, sea ice, sea bed movement, and erosion must be considered when evaluating the hazard of complex hydrological conditions on project safety | |
| C4. Societal impact | C41. Employment | The related manufacturing and service industries would grow with the project's development, and various possible job incentives would surface one after another when determining a construction location for OWPS. As a result, it is required to use employment to assess the impact, such as which station sites affect salary, relevant industries, etc. Knowing the position of the staff, the work environment, and other factors might have an impact on employment |
| C42. Policy planning | The central government's and local governments' support and promote wind farm construction; this criterion also considers if necessary legislation and policies have been implemented to encourage offshore wind projects | |
| C5. Conditions onshore | C51. Distance from the power load center | The distance between the area and the electrical load center is the distance over which electricity is transmitted from the power station to the shore (submarine cable) |
| C52. Electrical transmission and distribution system | The electrical system's capacity to meet future power supply requirements (e.g., substation, electrical grid) | |
| C53. Traffic condition | Examines the ease with which huge equipment can be transported along the shore (e.g., highway, railway, bridge, airport, dock) | |
| C6. Economic impact | C61. Cost-to-benefit ratio | Typically, the offshore wind power profit and loss balance is utilized in estimations |
| C62. Construction, operation, and maintenance costs | This criterion shows the total cost of the OWPS projects, from conception to completion and delivery in its final form, and all operating and maintenance expenditures in the surrounding area after the offshore wind farm is fully operational | |
| C63. Provincial financial subsidies | Relates to the subsidies promoted by the local government finance |