*Comparison with Similar Studies*

Herein, the wind potential in Semnan province was investigated according to specific criteria. Owing to the increasing popularity of renewable energy, a large number of such articles are placed in various scientific databases annually. However, no similar articles examined Semnan province regarding wind energy potential among the published articles.

In 2011, Mir Hosseini et al. [81] Investigated wind potentials in five locations in Semnan province. Their only criterion to measure wind energy potential was wind speed. To this end, wind data were examined in 3-h intervals between 2003 and 2007. Finally, by comparing wind data, it was concluded that the north area of Damghan has the best conditions among the evaluated areas. The wind was the most important criterion for measuring areas in this paper. According to Figures 2 and 16, the Semnan area can be found among the classified areas, according to which, Damghan is located in the area with grades 7–9, showing good conditions in terms of wind potential.

Moreover, various studies have been conducted to investigate the wind farm potential in the other provinces of Iran. Barzehkar et al. investigated the wind and photovoltaic site potential in Isfahan province, which locates in the south of Semnan. They used a weighted linear combination, AHP, GIS, and fuzzy logic to evaluate the province's area. Their AHP results indicated wind speed and distance from power lines as the most important criteria. According to their final results, almost 15% of the total area had the most potential for wind farm sites, which are mainly located in the province's northeast [82].

Nadizade et al. investigated the multi-renewable energy farms in four eastern provinces of Iran. Three of these provinces locates in the east of Semnan and have a border with this province. According to fuzzy logic and ANP wights, wind speed, distance from urban and protected areas, distance from roads, slope, and elevation were the essential criteria for the wind farm site. Based on their final results, almost 8% of the total study area had a high potential for the wind farm, mostly located in the south part of the study area [83].

In another study, GIS and AHP were used to investigate the wind farm and hydrogen production potential in Yazd, one of Iran's central provinces. According to the AHP weights, the economic criteria such as distance from an urban area and power lines were more important than technical criteria, including slope and wind speed, which is a significant difference between this study and other mentioned studies. Furthermore, they showed that

the central and north parts of the study area have the highest potential for extracting wind energy and hydrogen production [84].

Comparing the results of the weighting methods of this study and other mentioned studies show that in most of the studies, wind speed is the essential criterion. Although, there is no similar study to be compared with the present study results in Semnan. Other studies with similar methods in other provinces show that the central and eastern part of Iran has a good potential for wind farm sites. Putting together the results of the study in different areas can provide an overview of wind potential in the whole country. Furthermore, comparing the criteria and restrictions in various regions can give an overview of the general restrictions and criteria in the country.
