Energy for the future: An integrated decision aid for the case of Turkey

Environmental concerns and the increase in oil prices in the fall of 2000 made energy one of the priority issues in the industrial world. Research shows that the problem of selecting an energy resource requires a detailed multi-dimensional analysis. Most forms of renewable energy are dependent on geographic and environmental factors that vary immensely from place to place. As a result, each country has to work out its own policies in accordance with its geographical and political conditions. This paper is concerned with the multi-attribute decision making evaluation of energy resources that will enable the selection of a suitable electricity generation alternative for Turkey. It also provides an integrated decision aid (IDEA) framework for the selection of the most suitable multi-attribute method and presents ranking of alternatives and robustness analysis as recommendation to the authorities. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.