Energy Supply Preferences as Multicriteria Decision Problems: Developing a System of Criteria from Survey Data

Decision support techniques have a key role in investment and strategic decisions in the energy sector. As complex decision-making problems involve the simultaneous consideration of an extensive set of different factors, it is an essential part of the methodology to define, structure, and integrate the criteria. The main purpose of the study was to develop a system of criteria and weights that are suitable for general application in the energy sector and can best describe the decision-making mechanisms present in society and various social groups. When developing the system of criteria, we moved away from the hierarchical approach related to the three pillars of sustainability; therefore, a wide range of notions were assessed based on a population representative survey data collected in Hungary. We used algebraic methods to explore the internal structure of the set of criteria that had been previously defined by means of social sciences, while the importance weights were specified by applying the method of analytic network process. Furthermore, the ranking of heating and electricity generation alternatives were determined.

[1]  Arvind R. Singh,et al.  A review of multi criteria decision making (MCDM) towards sustainable renewable energy development , 2017 .

[2]  T. Cochrane,et al.  Facilitating universal energy access for developing countries with micro-hydropower: Insights from Nepal, Bolivia, Cambodia and the Philippines , 2018, Energy Research & Social Science.

[3]  Niki Frantzeskaki,et al.  Sustainable energy planning by using multi-criteria analysis application in the island of Crete , 2009 .

[4]  Rolf Wüstenhagen,et al.  Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept , 2007 .

[5]  Carlos Henggeler Antunes,et al.  MCDA and Energy Planning , 2005 .

[6]  B. Hartmann,et al.  Multi-criteria revision of the Hungarian Renewable Energy Utilization Action Plan – Review of the aspect of economy , 2017 .

[7]  Wojciech J. Florkowski,et al.  The evolution of shale gas development and energy security in Poland: Presenting a hierarchical choice of priorities , 2016 .

[8]  Fausto Cavallaro,et al.  A multicriteria approach to evaluate wind energy plants on an Italian island , 2005 .

[9]  W. Fichtner,et al.  Public acceptance and preferences related to renewable energy and grid expansion policy: Empirical insights for Germany , 2016 .

[10]  D. K. Manley,et al.  A survey of energy policy priorities in the United States: Energy supply security, economics, and the environment , 2013 .

[11]  C. Turcu.  Re-thinking sustainability indicators: local perspectives of urban sustainability , 2013 .

[12]  Paweł Ziemba,et al.  Inter-Criteria Dependencies-Based Decision Support in the Sustainable wind Energy Management , 2019, Energies.

[13]  Min-Kyu Lee,et al.  Quantifying Public Preferences for Community-Based Renewable Energy Projects in South Korea , 2020, Energies.

[14]  G. Brundtland.  Our Common Future—Call for Action , 1987, Environmental Conservation.

[15]  János Fülöp,et al.  Applying Multiobjective Optimization for the Heat Supply in the Residential Sector in Budapest , 2018, 2018 IEEE 12th International Symposium on Applied Computational Intelligence and Informatics (SACI).

[16]  H. Herzog,et al.  American exceptionalism? Similarities and differences in national attitudes toward energy policy and global warming. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[17]  Begüm Özkaynak,et al.  Citizens’ preferences on nuclear and renewable energy sources: Evidence from Turkey , 2012 .

[18]  Erlon Cristian Finardi,et al.  Tools for Measuring Energy Sustainability: A Comparative Review , 2020, Energies.

[19]  Michael Greenberg,et al.  Energy sources, public policy, and public preferences: Analysis of US national and site-specific data , 2009 .

[20]  Valentin Bertsch,et al.  What drives people's opinions of electricity infrastructure? Empirical evidence from Ireland , 2017 .

[21]  Marco Cannemi,et al.  Modeling decision making as a support tool for policy making on renewable energy development , 2014 .

[22]  Petros A. Pilavachi,et al.  Multicriteria evaluation of power plants impact on the living standard using the analytic hierarchy process , 2008 .

[23]  Simon Pezzutto,et al.  Assessment of the Space Heating and Domestic Hot Water Market in Europe—Open Data and Results , 2019, Energies.

[24]  Petros A. Pilavachi,et al.  Technological, economic and sustainability evaluation of power plants using the Analytic Hierarchy Process , 2009 .

[25]  Maarten Wolsink,et al.  Framing in Renewable Energy Policies: A Glossary , 2020, Energies.

[26]  Brian Vad Mathiesen,et al.  EU-28 Residential Heat Supply and Consumption: Historical Development and Status , 2020, Energies.

[27]  Pablo Aragonés-Beltrán,et al.  An ANP-based approach for the selection of photovoltaic solar power plant investment projects , 2010 .

[28]  Hiranmay Saha,et al.  Green energy sources (GES) selection based on multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) , 2011 .

[29]  Stephen Ansolabehere,et al.  Public Attitudes Toward Construction of New Power Plants , 2009 .

[30]  R. Hämäläinen,et al.  The analytic network process in energy policy planning , 1986 .