Multicriteria assessment of renewable energy sources in Serbia

Abstract

The development of today's economies is inconceivable without energy. However, fossil fuel reserves are declining, climate change is accelerating and some changes in the energy sector are needed. Renewable energy sources are a potential solution for many scientists and practitioners. However, the planning and implementation of renewable energy projects requires consideration of a number of criteria, which is why multicriteria decision-making methods are often used to evaluate renewable energy sources/technologies. Goal of this paper is to evaluate four types of renewable energy sources (photovoltaic, hydro, biomass and wind energy) in Serbia. Analytical hierarchical process and seven criteria were applied. Based on the obtained results, hydro sources are ranked the best. Also, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine whether changes in the priority of criteria would cause changes in the range of alternatives. It was found that major changes in priorities are needed for changes to occur, so it can be concluded that the results obtained are relevant.