Analyzing Renewable Energy Sources of a Developing Country for Sustainable Development: An Integrated Fuzzy Based-Decision Methodology

• Published in: Processes Vol. 8; no. 7; p. 825
• Main Authors: Solangi, Yasir Ahmed, Longsheng, Cheng, Shah, Syed Ahsan Ali, Alsanad, Ahmed, Ahmad, Munir, Akbar, Muhammad Azeem, Gumaei, Abdu, Ali, Sharafat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Analytic hierarchy process; Carbon; Climate change; Decision analysis; Decision making; Delphi method; Developing countries; Electricity; Electricity generation; Energy consumption; Energy exports & imports; Energy policy; Energy resources; Environmental impact; Fossil fuels; Fuzzy sets; Geothermal power; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; Hydroelectric power; LDCs; Methods; Multiple criterion; Planning; Politics; Pollutants; Population growth; Production capacity; Renewable energy sources; Renewable resources; Solar energy; Sustainable development; Wind power; Anatolia; Turkey
• ISSN: 2227-9717; 2227-9717
• DOI: 10.3390/pr8070825

Global human pollutant activities have raised greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which have directly affected the climate. Fossil fuel-based energy has brought a negative impact on the environment and is considered one of the largest sources of GHG emissions. It is envisaged that GHG emissions will increase in the future due to rapid population growth and industrialization. Thus, it is imperative to mitigate climate variability and reduce GHGs by adopting renewable energy (RE) sources for electricity generation. In this regard, the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) process would serve the purpose of framing out energy policy to analyze these environmentally friendly energy sources. This study uses an integrated decision methodology—a combination of Delphi, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), and the fuzzy weighted aggregated sum product assessment (FWASPAS)—for the adoption of RE sources for electricity generation in Turkey. Initially, the study identified five main criteria and seventeen sub-criteria using the Delphi method. Then, the FAHP method was used to evaluate and rank the main criteria and sub-criteria. Finally, the FWASPAS method was used to assess and prioritize five major RE sources for electricity generation. The FAHP analysis indicated that political criteria are the most influential, followed by economic and technical criteria. Further, the FWASPAS method revealed that wind energy is the most significant option for electricity generation. This decision-making process can help the energy planners to utilize RE sources for sustainable development.