A Novel MS Excel Tool for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis in Energy Systems

2022 ◽  
pp. 83-109
Author(s):  
K. S. Sastry Musti ◽  
Marcio Van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Significant Interest ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Computational Processes

Application of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods to various aspects of energy systems is of significant interest. This chapter first proposes a simple yet user-friendly MS-Excel tool with four popular MCDA methods. The tool can be effectively used to apply MCDA techniques and to determine the rankings for the alternatives. This MS-Excel tool is made available on Mendeley data repository. The chapter explains the overall MCDA computational processes, algorithms, and provides details on using the tool itself with the help of two case studies to demonstrate its effectiveness and applicability.

scholarly journals Multi-criteria decision analysis methods to support sustainable infrastructure construction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Ek ◽  
Alexandre Mathern ◽  
Rasmus Rempling ◽  
Lars Rosén ◽  
Christina Claeson-Jonsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Sustainable Infrastructure ◽  
Procurement Process ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Infrastructure Project ◽  
Negative Impacts

<p>The construction of infrastructure projects represents a large sustainability impact, both positive and negative. Increased positive and reduced negative impacts can be achieved through better design and planning of the construction. To make more sustainable choices, well-defined predictive sustainability assessment methods are required. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a well- suited method for predictive sustainability assessment. This paper evaluates two MCDA methods for sustainability assessment of infrastructure construction and exemplifies their application with two case studies. The aim of this paper is to discuss if the methods are suitable for identifying the most sustainable alternative during the procurement process of an infrastructure project. It is recommended that MCDA methods are further developed to comply with the recently published EN standard on sustainability assessment of civil engineering works.</p>

scholarly journals The Potential Role of Ammonia as Marine Fuel—Based on Energy Systems Modeling and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Hansson ◽  
Selma Brynolf ◽  
Erik Fridell ◽  
Mariliis Lehtveer
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Systems Modeling ◽  
Marine Fuel ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Ghg Reduction

To reduce the climate impact of shipping, the introduction of alternative fuels is required. There is a range of different marine fuel options but ammonia, a potential zero carbon fuel, has recently received a lot of attention. The purpose of this paper is to assess the prospects for ammonia as a future fuel for the shipping sector in relation to other marine fuels. The assessment is based on a synthesis of knowledge in combination with: (i) energy systems modeling including the cost-effectiveness of ammonia as marine fuel in relation to other fuels for reaching global climate targets; and (ii) a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach ranking marine fuel options while considering estimated fuel performance and the importance of criteria based on maritime stakeholder preferences. In the long-term and to reach global GHG reduction, the energy systems modeled indicate that the use of hydrogen represents a more cost-effective marine fuel option than ammonia. However, in the MCDA covering more aspects, we find that ammonia may be almost as interesting for shipping related stakeholders as hydrogen and various biomass-based fuels. Ammonia may to some extent be an interesting future marine fuel option, but many issues remain to be solved before large-scale introduction.

scholarly journals Complementary use of the Ecosystem Service Concept and Multi-criteria Decision Analysis in Water Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Marttunen ◽  
Jyri Mustajoki ◽  
Virpi Lehtoranta ◽  
Heli Saarikoski
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Criteria Weights ◽  
Stakeholder Preferences ◽  
Pros And Cons

AbstractThe ecosystem service (ES) concept has increasingly been applied in environmental planning, while there are several decades of experience in applying multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in complex planning situations. The aim of this article is to assess how the ES concept has been used in water management projects together with MCDA and to examine the experiences gained and make recommendations to overcome any identified challenges. Our conclusions are based on a systematic analysis of 23 articles that were selected among 206 articles focused on water-related studies using, for example, the terms multi-criteria and ecosystem services in the title, abstract or keywords. Here, we explore (i) at what level of detail ESs are included in the decision hierarchy, (ii) the pros and cons of the complementary use of the two approaches, and (iii) how the potential challenges related to the use of MCDA, such as the large number of criteria, double-counting, or assigning criteria weights, are addressed in the selected cases. The results reveal large differences between the case studies. It is shown that only a few case studies used ES categories to classify criteria in the decision hierarchy, that these cases included different numbers of ES criteria and non-ES criteria, and that most case studies elicited stakeholder preferences in MCDA. Although the paper focuses on water management projects, the conclusions regarding the advantages and pitfalls of the complementary use of the methods, as well as our recommendations, are also applicable to other environmental management contexts.

scholarly journals Integrated Multidimensional Sustainability Assessment of Energy System Transformation Pathways

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5217
Author(s):  
Tobias Naegler ◽  
Lisa Becker ◽  
Jens Buchgeister ◽  
Wolfgang Hauser ◽  
Heidi Hottenroth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
System Modeling ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
System Transformation ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Transformation Pathways

Sustainable development embraces a broad spectrum of social, economic and ecological aspects. Thus, a sustainable transformation process of energy systems is inevitably multidimensional and needs to go beyond climate impact and cost considerations. An approach for an integrated and interdisciplinary sustainability assessment of energy system transformation pathways is presented here. It first integrates energy system modeling with a multidimensional impact assessment that focuses on life cycle-based environmental and macroeconomic impacts. Then, stakeholders’ preferences with respect to defined sustainability indicators are inquired, which are finally integrated into a comparative scenario evaluation through a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), all in one consistent assessment framework. As an illustrative example, this holistic approach is applied to the sustainability assessment of ten different transformation strategies for Germany. Applying multi-criteria decision analysis reveals that both ambitious (80%) and highly ambitious (95%) carbon reduction scenarios can achieve top sustainability ranks, depending on the underlying energy transformation pathways and respective scores in other sustainability dimensions. Furthermore, this research highlights an increasingly dominant contribution of energy systems’ upstream chains on total environmental impacts, reveals rather small differences in macroeconomic effects between different scenarios and identifies the transition among societal segments and climate impact minimization as the most important stakeholder preferences.

scholarly journals Suitability maps for managed aquifer recharge: a review of multi-criteria decision analysis studies

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Sallwey ◽  
José Pablo Bonilla Valverde ◽  
Felipe Vásquez López ◽  
Ralf Junghanns ◽  
Catalin Stefan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Analysis ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Query Tool ◽  
Suitability Maps ◽  
User Friendly

Suitability maps for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) sites hold a strong potential for integration into sustainable groundwater management plans. An uprising method to identify sites suitable for MAR implementation is geographic information system (GIS)-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). There are no guidelines or a common understanding on how suitability mapping should be conducted, and there is considerable variability as to what factors are assessed and how they are weighted. To increase knowledge on GIS-MCDA, a database has been built based on 63 studies applying GIS-MCDA in the context of MAR site selection. Information on the criteria, assigned weights, and methodologies has been retrieved from the documents. Statistical analysis of the database depicts the current state of art for suitability mapping methodologies as well as specific information for the different recharge methods. We further incorporated the compiled information into a web-based query tool that makes the information easily accessible and the utilization of the database more user friendly. This review as well as the created web-tool will help planners of MAR sites to engage in the MCDA in a more structured way by referring to previously conducted studies and by finding information suitable for their specific project. The application potential of suitability maps is discussed along with the shortcomings of this methodology.

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