Multi-Criteria Method for the Selection of Renewable Energy Sources in the Polish Industrial Sector

Robert Ulewicz, Dominika Siwiec, Andrzej Pacana, Magdalena Tutak and Jarosław Brodny
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Robert Ulewicz: Department of Production Engineering and Safety, Faculty of Management, Czestochowa University of Technology, 42-201 Częstochowa, Poland
Dominika Siwiec: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, Rzeszow University of Technology, 35-959 Rzeszow, Poland
Andrzej Pacana: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, Rzeszow University of Technology, 35-959 Rzeszow, Poland
Magdalena Tutak: Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Jarosław Brodny: Faculty of Organization and Management, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-30

Abstract: Rational decision-making requires assessing the advantages and disadvantages of options, including nonmarket effects (such as environmental effects). This also applies to strategic decision-making in the industrial sector to select alternative renewable energy source (RES). Often, a variety of criteria can be used to select a renewable energy source, whereas no ideal family of criteria for renewable energy selection for industry has been defined in the literature. It was concluded that there is a need to support the actions of industrial development based on RES, which will contribute significantly to overcoming the limitations of the negative effect on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. There is a clear need for a systematic and polyvalent multicriteria approach to planning in industry. Therefore, a method for choosing the preferred renewable source of electricity for industry has been developed, which considers key criteria of RES choice: Expert opinions, the costs of obtaining the energy and maintaining energy installations, and the volume of electricity from RES. This article offers a modified multicriteria selection method based on a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) and the technique for preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS), integrated with a qualitative price analysis (ACJ). This new method was tested through a case study on selecting a preferred RES in Polish industrial conditions. The research results indicate that the proposed method of choosing the preferred renewable energy source can be used in industrial enterprises that strive to meet their energy needs in accordance with the principles of social responsibility.

Keywords: renewable energy sources; electricity; industry; preferred selection; TOPSIS; fuzzy AHP; qualitative price analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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