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

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.