Integrating Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques in Assessing Renewable Energy Potential: A Case Study of Egypt

• Published in: IEEE access 2024, Vol.12, p.103594-103605
• Main Authors: Balobaid, Awatef, Abd-Elhafiez, Walaa M., Nagy, Sayed M., Trabay, Doaa Wagdy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternative energy; Analytic hierarchy process; Biomass; Biomass energy; Biomass energy production; Climate change; Decision making; Electricity; Emissions; Evaluation; Geographical locations; Government; Greenhouse gases; Hierarchies; Hydroelectric power generation; hydropower; multicriteria decision making; Multiple criteria decision making; Multiple criterion; Natural resources; Renewable energy; Renewable energy sources; Renewable resources; Similarity; Solar energy; Sustainable development; Wind energy; Wind power generation
• ISSN: 2169-3536; 2169-3536
• DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3434604

Egypt's geographic location and natural resources make it an ideal candidate for Renewable Energy (RE) projects. The government has implemented initiatives and policies to promote RE development, resulting in notable projects such as the Benban Solar Park and wind farms in the Gulf of Suez. These endeavors aim to combat climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and foster sustainable development. Multicriteria decision making techniques are increasingly favored due to their ability to accommodate diverse criteria for selecting RE sources. This paper evaluates numerous RE options in Egypt, including solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass energy, and proposes a hybrid strategy for classifying RE sources for power generation based on criteria such as finance, environment, technology, and community. The study utilizes four multicriteria decision making methods: the analytical hierarchy process, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS), and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. The key findings indicate that solar and wind energy are the most viable options for Egypt's renewable energy strategy, with the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution method proving to be the most effective for ranking these sources by providing a comprehensive evaluation framework that aligns well with related studies. These findings have significant implications for policy and investment, as they provide a robust decision-making framework that ensures balanced consideration of financial, environmental, technological, and social factors. The study underscores the value of using advanced multicriteria decision making techniques to guide RE development in Egypt, contributing to the global effort to combat climate change.