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The residential sector is well known to be one of the main energy consumers worldwide. The purpose of this study is to select the best renewable energy alternatives for electricity generation in a residential building by using a new integrated fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making method. In renewable energy decision-making problems, the preferences of experts and decision-makers are generally uncertain. Furthermore, it is challenging to quantify the reel performance of renewable energy alternatives using a set of exact values. Fuzzy logic is commonly applied to deal with those uncertainties. The method proposed in this paper combines different methods. First, the Delphi method is used in order to select a preliminary set of renewable energy alternatives for electricity generation as well as a preliminary set of criteria (economic, environmental, social, etc.). Then, the questionnaire is used to study the renewable energy alternatives preferences of the residents of the residential building'. Later, the FAHP (Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process) is implemented to obtain the weighs of the criteria taking into consideration uncertainties in expert's judgments. Finally, the FPROMETHEE (Fuzzy Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation) global ranking is performed in order to get a complete ranking of the renewable energy alternatives taking into account uncertainties related to the alternatives' evaluations. The originality of this paper comes from the application of the proposed integrated Delphi- FAHP- FPROMETHEE methodology for the selection of the best renewable energy alternatives for electricity generation in a residential building. A case study has validated the effectiveness and the applicability of the proposed method. The results reveal that the proposed integrated method helps to formulate the problem and is particularly effective in handling uncertain data. It facilitates the selection of the best renewable energy alternatives in a manner that is participatory, comprehensive, robust, and reliable. • This paper presents a new methodology for the selection of the best renewable energy alternatives in a residential building. • A new fuzzy integrated Delphi- FAHP- FPROMETHEE methodology has been applied. • The sensitivity analysis indicates that the proposed methodology is stable with respect to decision-makers' preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power sector and environment cordially affect each other throughout the economic growth journey of a developing country. It is high time to take care of the power demand, considering the environmental effects and the physical health of Indians. Power generation using renewable energy sources (RESs) can be a great alternative on behalf of the power sector in contributing to a cleaner environment. In this paper, a model has been developed to opt out the best energy-producing source for most polluted Indian states to combat hazardous air pollution. Multiple criteria, i.e., technical, economic, environmental, and resource availability factors and their sub-criteria, are considered to determine the best-suited RES. The priority of the energy source is established by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to ascertain the relative value of different sub-attributes for the selected state. The findings indicate that, with priorities of 39.04% and 33.06%, respectively, photovoltaics (PV) predominates in Delhi and Haryana. The PV priority of 34.43% in Uttar Pradesh is in line with this trend. Punjab gives PV a 36.73% significance as well. Bihar prioritizes PV at 38.37%, mirroring Punjab's preferences. Tidal energy is given 51.80% priority in coastal Gujarat, whereas CSP is preferred by Rajasthan with 37.26% priority. For Maharashtra, tidal energy is the preference, with 33.70%. The primary goal behind this research is to plan and model a way out for the national electricity planners that aids in fulfilling the power demand in the most polluted Indian states without making a burden on the environment. • India is facing a significant problem with air pollution, especially in the months of October to December. • Power generation using renewable energy sources can be beneficial for improving AQI in Indian cities. • The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), is used to decide the most suitable energy source. • Technical, economical, environmental, and resource location is used as deciding criteria. • The work can be beneficial for policymakers and electricity planners to integrate more RE into India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's wind power installed capacity is the largest in the world, but the utilization of wind power equipment is not very good, far behind USA. In this paper, the development of China's wind power is reviewed, and the present wind power curtailment restricts the sound development of China's wind power industry. The characteristics of China's wind farm are summered. With the insatiability and intermittence, wind power is not welcome to China's electric grid, and large-scale wind power construction does not match with the existing power grid, therefore, wind power curtailment is serious and the level of wind power utilization is very low. To solve the wind power curtailment rationing problem, in this paper, combined with the characteristics of China's wind farm operation, the wind power utilization level evaluation index system has been built, reflecting the wind resource characteristics, wind power equipment type, wind power output, wind power curtailment, grid technology, operation management and so on. Taking Hami wind farm in Xinjiang province as an example, wind power utilization level is evaluated comprehensively, combined the improved analytic hierarchy process (IAHP) analysis and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method (FCEM). The results show that the establishment of wind power utilization level comprehensive evaluation index system is helpful to find the main factors which effect the level of wind power utilization and improve the wind power field operation, which can provide reference for the planning and design of wind farm, and the results have certain value on theoretical significance and engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private investments are critical enablers to achieving energy access for over 770 million people worldwide. Despite decreasing capital costs, investments in renewable energy (RE) projects in developing countries are low due to unattractive risk-return profiles. Through understanding key risks drivers and their interactions, actionable insights can be drawn to mitigate investment risks, making energy more accessible. This paper reviews RE risks and methods used for risk assessment and mitigation for developed and developing countries with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa countries (SSA). The review finds that while risk analysis and evaluation mainly employed semi-quantitative multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and system dynamics (SD) methods for developing countries, qualitative methods were used to identify mitigations. The methods assessed technical and economic risks at a minimum, while MCDA and SD methods can assess social, political, and policy risks. The efficacies of mitigations were tested using SD and quantitative methods such as agent-based modelling and Monte Carlo simulation. The paper further introduces a 'holistic multi-dimensional investor risk management framework' which can be used to identify actions to improve investment risks in a structured manner. The framework addresses four fundamental limitations observed in the existing literature, recognising that RE risks are complex and involve multidisciplinary perspectives having interactions and feedbacks with other risks, actors, and their actions. This review provides a valuable reference to investors, policymakers, and researchers, providing a catalogue of risks, methods deployed in literature, including a framework to identify impactful actions to improve risk levels. • Previous review of RE risk management methods has been fragmented. • A holistic critical review of risk assessment and mitigation methods is presented. • A holistic 'multi-dimensional investor risk management framework' is introduced. • The framework addresses four fundamental limitations observed in the existing literature. • This framework is further applied from a Sub-Saharan Africa perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents estimates of the geographical and technical potentials for solar electricity generation in rural areas of West Africa (ECOWAS region). The study is performed by application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. We study both opportunities for large-scale grid-connected solar systems (photovoltaic, and concentrated solar power technologies), and for off-grid solar systems (photovoltaic). Locations are evaluated according to their suitability for solar systems’ deployment according to topographical, legal, and social constraints, as well as factors that could facilitate or impede solar generation development. The study is conducted on a regional scale. The results can be used for identification of potential areas of interest for solar generation deployment, and as a support for integration between electricity grid expansion and off-grid electrification policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste production is constantly increasing worldwide and constitutes a problem that is expected to deteriorate in the future. In parallel, ensuring access to affordable and sustainable energy for all is crucial considering current environmental, economic, and social concerns. Waste-to-Energy (WtE) is an effective solution to address both issues, therefore it requires intense scientific attention. WtE management is characterized by different technologies, refers to various waste types, and needs multidisciplinary decision support. Thus, it is critical to include multiple criteria in the decision making process i.e. economic, technological, environmental, social, and political. These reflect different objectives that often come into conflict with each other. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is a tool that can effectively contribute to answer that challenge. The paper reviews the way, the scope, and the multi-criteria techniques that have been applied up-to-now to WtE Management Strategies (WtEMSs) in the globe. A critical review of 153 published papers addresses specific issues and questions. Asian and European countries are producing the most MCDAs studies on WtEMS. An increasing trend of papers commences from the year 2007. Results depict that Analytical Hierarchy Process is the most common approach, adopted in 62 real-life cases. Incineration and anaerobic digestion are mostly studied in MCDA frameworks. Emphasis is given on critical analysis and lessons that can be learnt from the available literature. Policy makers are motivated to: (i) adopt MCDA to holistically make WtEMSs decisions, (ii) adapt to local characteristics, (iii) encounter logistic problems, and (iv) efficiently promote implementation in real-life cases. Image 1 • An increasing trend of published papers commences from the year 2007. • AHP is the most common approach, adopted in 62 real life cases. • Incineration and anaerobic digestion are mostly studied in MCDA frameworks. • Socio-political criteria significantly included in MCDA studies after 2013. • MCDA principles are vital for the success of a WtE management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing acceptance that renewable energy mini-grids will play an integral role in the attainment of universal access to electricity as they are now considered to be least cost option for the electrification of locations far from the national grid. Yet, the pace of mini-grids deployment is tapered by multiple obstacles. The paper examined these barriers for Ghana, since a sizable proportion of the population without access to electricity today, will have to be electrified through mini-grids. By coupling literature reviews with field research, twenty-two barriers were identified and validated, dimensioned into political, economic, technical, social and environmental categories, and eventually ranked using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The category results ranked political barriers as the most important obstacles (44.3%) and environmental as the least (6.4%). The overall results concentrate the top ten barriers around three main barrier categories; Political (5) Economic (3) and Technical (2), which makes up 70% of the collective barrier weight. Access to finance is accorded the greatest share of importance of 11.7% while limited paying capacity is assigned 3.88%. The paper argues that severe lack of funding, exacerbated by a policy that imposes unbearable subsidies, limits business model innovation, least support productive uses and dispels private capital investment, impedes accelerated deployment of mini-grids for timely universal access to electricity in Ghana. Modifications to the current policy are therefore required. Image 1 • Twenty-two mini-grid barriers were identified and organized into five categories. • The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology is used in a multi-stakeholder expert group analysis to rank the barriers. • From the analysis, the most important barrier category is political while the least is environmental. • Severe lack of funding, which is worsened by policy that imposes unbearable subsidies, eliminates private investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is to explore the differences of the integrated value of shale gas development between the US and China. On the basis of an extensive literature survey and 17 in-depth personal interviewswith domestic experts, a fuzzy-AHP model is exploited herein to evaluate the development of shale gas in the US and China. The fuzzy-AHP model encompasses 21 indicators, which can be further categorized into 4 critical factors: (1) market prospects, (2) environmental impacts, (3) conditions of resource & occurrence, and (4) general conditions of extraction & utilization. Among the 21 indicators, market demand, cost and price, technologies, gas content, water contamination/supply, and policy contribute significantly to the integrated value of the model. According to the integrated value of the shale gas development in the US and China, the comparative analysis suggests that there is a large gap between these two countries. Furthermore, differences in shale gas development between the US and China are identified and reasons for these differences are analyzed. The US-China comparative analysis and the experience from US suggest that government policies will be crucial to determine the future development of shale gas in China and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy plays a crucial and high-priority role in protecting and maintaining our future environment. One of the most important and outstanding factor in building a power plant is how to choose the appropriate and suitable site for solar power plants. The purpose of this research is to investigate the most felicitous locations in order to establish the photovoltaic power stations in Iran.it is highly recommended to closely consider the economical and geographical conditions. The required data were mostly obtained from satellite images and ground measurements. The principle in this paper forms some effective factors made up of in site selection and developed some guidelines about how to divide them into four categories including the value of solar radiation on earth's surface, the economic features, the technical factors and geographical considerations. It is extremely necessary to recognize the need to closely examine an important issue that these factors were analyzed and weighted by Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and then the potential map was extracted. An understanding and appreciation of results represent appropriate locations namely Fars and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces which have higher potential to build Photovoltaic power plants. Ultimately, through research, it has been developed a model and map with maximum efficiency for gaining a deeper understanding of the most suitable location for the fixed panel power plant which was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a two level hierarchical methodology is presented for the integral design of hybrid power generation systems based on alternative renewable energy (ARE) systems using the net energy concept and considering technical, economical, societal as well as environmental aspects. Results are presented for the design of a small-scale hybrid renewable energy system using the proposed methodology in Margarita Island, Venezuela. The proposed methodology applies the integrated analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology to the selection of the best hybrid renewable energy system using the concept of net energy and is divided in two phases: a classic optimization process using levelized costs minimization and an AHP implementation for decision making problems. Under this methodology technical–economical aspects are considered as quantitative parameters, while social–environmental aspects depend largely on the criteria of the system planning engineers and future users of the system. Technical–economical aspects are considered using specialized software, used to optimize and compute the best configuration of an ARE project. Social–economical aspects are defined as a series of parameters that should be considered by the planning team, a meeting of experts or a community consensus on the project site. Several diesel price scenarios (low, intermediate and high) are considered. The results show the importance of the proposed tools for decision making problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, energy systems are not fully sustainable due to the heavy power demands provoked by high population and increasing level of the living standard and economic growth. Hence, it requires significant efforts to conserve the resources and ensure the sustainability in energy demand and in its management from a nation perspective. The Indian economy is growing at a good pace and there is an enormous demand for resources and energy in the country. In this regard, this paper aims to identify and prioritize the indicators to develop a decision-support framework for the sustainability assessment in energy planning and management in Indian context. To achieve it, this work proposes to use a two-phase research methodology. In first phase, a comprehensive literature review and expert’s inputs are used to identify the important five key dimensions of indicators and twenty-five indicators for assessing the sustainability in energy planning and management. In second phase, fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used for prioritizing of indicators to develop an integrated sustainability assessment framework for energy systems. ‘Environmental’ indicator dimension has been reported as the most important dimension for assessing the sustainability in energy planning and management. The proposed decision framework may offer some valuable guidelines for policy makers to develop their plan of action in terms of design of both short term and long term flexible decision strategies, to assess the sustainability in energy systems. Sensitivity analysis has also been made to investigate the robustness and priority ranking stability of the proposed sustainability assessment framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are the primary cause of recent climate change. In the United States, the road transportation sector is one of the largest sources of these emissions. Any policies to reduce emissions must therefore include mitigation strategies for on-road transportation. The aim of this paper is to propose a multi-criteria method, Analytical Hierarchy Process, to rank various on-road emissions mitigation strategies including reduce, avoid, and replace strategies. The method׳s results are obtained based on a survey of transportation and climate science professionals. The Analytical Hierarchy Process was applied to two regional scenarios of a midsize-small city (Lubbock, Texas) and a metropolitan area (Dallas, Texas). To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, the Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator model was run for Dallas. The aim of the model was to estimate the potential carbon dioxide mitigation for a given strategy allocation. Our survey identified no difference between the rankings of reduce, avoid, and replace strategies for our metropolitan and midsize-small city areas. Reduce strategies had the highest preference score of 40% followed by avoid strategies with 36% and replace strategies with 24%. An optimum mixed mitigation scenario would achieve reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of 17% by 2030 from 2010 levels. The contributions of this study are two-fold. First, we evaluate generic scenarios in detail and apply them to a real-world case study. Second, the approach is both simple and generalizable. Applications of this type of platform include ranking transportation strategies on mitigating carbon dioxide emissions, evaluating the strategies, prioritizing budgets, and developing assessments of mitigation potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper focuses on standards battles for photovoltaic technological systems. Five photovoltaic technologies are currently commercially available and it is still unclear which of these technologies will emerge as the dominant design. Based on the literature and on expert interviews, we develop and analyze categories and factors for technology dominance for these systems. By applying the analytic hierarchy process, we determine the importance of these factors and the chances of one of these five technologies becoming the dominant photovoltaic technology. The crisp and fuzzy (logarithmic fuzzy preference programming) analytic hierarchy process method is used to analyze the data. The results show that the standard support strategy is the most important category, and that pricing strategy and technological superiority are the most influential factors in the dominance process. Furthermore, the first generation technology mono-crystalline silicon photovoltaic has the best chance of achieving dominance (30% chance). The results of this study are useful for multiple stakeholders (e.g. energy policy makers and photovoltaic module companies) who have to make the decision as to which standard should be supported for photovoltaic technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Malaysia's renewable energy policies do not cover production from waste, including the generation of biogas from palm oil mill effluent. This paper combines life cycle cost-benefit analysis (LCCBA) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to provide new insights into costs and benefits of technologies over the life cycles, and on the basis of this information, asks experts to rank different options to enhance policy. The results show that the continuous stirred tank reactor has a higher LCC of 0.63 Million USD/year, compared to a LCC value of 0.55 Million USD/year for the covered lagoon bio-digester. In terms of cost-benefit, the continuous stirred tank reactor has a higher net present value of 0.46 Million USD/year, higher return on investment of 10.11% and a shorter payback period of 9.9 years compared to the covered lagoon bio-digester system, which has a net present value of 0.22 Million USD/year, return on investment of 7.79% and a payback period of 12.8 years. The continuous stirred tank reactor system therefore emerges as more economically feasible compared to the covered lagoon bio-digester system. On providing this information to experts using AHP, the three top ranked policy options emerged as: i) providing detailed environmental guidelines, ii) standardising technical guidelines for biogas installation and iii) covering the open pond wall using lining. Economic insights and policy opportunities based on this research can be used to inform policy decision making in multiple contexts where biogas plant projects are under consideration, in both Malaysia and globally. • Life cycle cost-benefit analysis (LCCBA) on palm oil mill effluent treatment. • Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) ranks policy options. • Combining LCCBA and AHP offers insights linking economic analysis & policy options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increase in economic activities and population growth have resulted in the high energy and water demands which made them top priorities for many countries around the globe. This led to exploring new sources for producing fresh water including desalination. Estimating the true cost of desalinated water production should include both internal and externality costs. The objective of this paper is to calculate the externality costs that are associated with desalination water production in United Arab Emirates. The study examines and quantifies the environmental, economical and social costs of thermal desalination plants for both Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) and Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) technologies using Analytical Hierarchy Process model. For this purpose, various desalination sustainability criteria that are considered include CO2 emissions, brine discharge, chemicals pollutants, land area, employment rate, desalinated water quality and water availability. Results show that the true cost of desalinated water production almost doubled when the externality costs are included. Results indicated that the externality costs for the MED technology ranged between 0.297$/m3 and 0.702 $/m3 leading to an average increase of 65.8%. For the MSF technology, the externality costs ranged between 0.548$/m3 and 1.174$/m3 leading to an average increase is of 81.9%. • Environmental, social and economic consequences of water desalination. • Air, Water, and Solid Waste Pollutions from desalination processes. • Externality and true costs of MED and MSF desalination technologies. • Analytical Hierarchy Process decision model used to calculate externality costs. • Externality costs for the MED technology ranged 0.297$/m3 and 0.702 $/m3. • Externality costs for MSF technology the costs ranged between 0.548$/m3 and 1.174$/m3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the zero-emission transport system is a public will in megacities. A promising alternative among the countermeasures is to employ Battery Electric Buses (BEB) and Fuel-Cell Buses (FCB) at reasonable prices. This paper addresses Multi-product Charging Stations (MCS) in the selected bus terminals for refilling hydrogen and electricity. The core of MCS is constituted of a pair of Electrolyzer/Fuel Cell working back to back by Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology. The innate flexibility in the operation of such a configuration enables for providing regulating services when the market price is soaring. The multi-criteria programming for the hourly schedule in different weather conditions is investigated using the Crow Search Algorithm. The objective is to enhance the daily profit of charging stations through the optimized multi-products/services selection. Uncertainty in wind speed, market price, and electric vehicles is considered in scenarios. The weightings are decided through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Criteria Importance through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) methods. The superiority of MC-CSA Stochastic Programming is showcased by simulations on a modified 33-bus IEEE distribution system using DK2 (east Denmark) data under subsidized and liberal markets. Regarding the daily profit outcomes, CRITIC was advantageous on windy days when the market prices vary with wind speed whilst AHP was preferred in low wind hours. The most lucrative operations are achievable when the products are fully accepted by regulating markets, BEBs, and FCBs on windy days. The results indicate that the additional remuneration on green hydrogen leaves a deeper impact rather than subsidies on electricity prices for EVs. • Cogeneration of hydrogen and electricity for city buses is addressed. • Multi-Criteria Crow Search Algorithm is tailored for profit enhancement. • Criteria Importance through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) method is adopted. • Underlying interdependencies between uncertain parameters are numerically distinguished. • Subsidy on hydrogen as fuel showed more beneficial than on electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a renewable energy with immense development potential, ocean wave energy has abundant storage. The utilizations of wave energy technology to exploit wave energy resources have broad application prospects and an important realistic meaning. The researchers worldwide have designed many wave energy converters (WEC) with varied and structures based on different concepts. In this paper, the principle of wave energy power generation technology is reviewed and analyzed from basic structure and power take-off (PTO). Some typical WEC and multi-degree of freedom WEC (MDWEC) and their realization are introduced. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is employed to construct a comprehensive multi-index model and evaluate the present WEC from five perspectives: energy capture, technology cost economic, reliability, environmental friendliness and adaptability. Results show that in the field of wave energy utilization and development, the MDWEC has a good comprehensive performance and a wide application range. Qualitative and quantitative methods are adopted to find the optimal WEC technical scheme based on the review and analysis of technology principles of wave energy power generation and realization of devices, which can be used for the development of WEC. • The wave power generation technologies are analyzed from basic structure and power take-off. • Including typical wave energy converters and multi-degree-of-freedom wave energy converters are introduced. • A multi-index evaluation system is established based on the commercialization of wave energy converters. • The multi-degree-of-freedom wave energy converter is found to have a better overall performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to evaluate appropriate sites for Small Power Producers (SPP) hybrid, firm renewable energy-based power plants and their scenario suitability, focusing in the southernmost provinces of Thailand. The siting suitability of renewable SPP hybrid, firm power plants was assessed by employing the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Para rubberwood distribution map, 1-km resolution Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) map, and high resolution (50 m) wind potential map are overlaid in possible regions for site selection. The inclusion of energy storage is also assessed in order to achieve the firm output of the optimized power plant, as per the requirement of the SPP policy. In total, 14 possible combinations of renewable SPP scenarios, ranging from 10 to 50 MW, were analyzed in order to identify an optimum scenario in terms of technical power potential, environmental suitability and socio-economic viability. The cost of each renewable SPP hybrid scenario was analyzed, as well as the annual energy production (AEP) for each scenario. The cost-benefit and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) were analyzed using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in the ranking of all scenarios. Results show that the optimum scenario is a 40 MW solar PV power plant, complemented with a 10 MW biomass power plant and with a substantial energy storage system (ESS). This configuration has the highest generation capacity, at over 1,200 PWh/yr, the lowest LCOE, at 11.2 US cents/kWh, and avoiding CO 2eq emissions of nearly 38 ktonnes per year. The methodology developed, based on a cost-benefit analysis, levelized cost of energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions, can also be applied in other jurisdictions characterized by the availability of biomass, solar and wind resources for electricity generation. • Sites for Small Power Producers hybrid, firm power plants are assessed. • The power plants are based on renewable energy resources, in southern Thailand. • Wind, solar and biomass resources, including energy storage systems, are assessed. • The levelized cost of energy is analyzed in the ranking of 14 power plant scenarios. • The optimum scenario is a hybrid 40 MW solar PV and 10 MW biomass power plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]