Ron Vreeker

Selecting an Appropriate Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Technique for Renewable Energy Planning

This article develops a methodological framework to provide insights regarding the suitability of multi-criteria techniques in the context of renewable energy planning. The second section presents main characteristics of the particular decision-making process. The third section presents the main multi-criteria analysis methods, and the fourth section reveals the requirements of the techniques for renewable energy planning and the main attributes under which these methods should be evaluated. Subsequently, in the fifth section, a comparative matrix is created with the various appropriate multi-criteria techniques and their performance. Finally in the sixth sec tion, we present our conclusions.

Sustainability Assessment of Development Scenarios: Methodology and Application to Thailand

Abstract This paper aims to offer an applicable evaluation framework for assessing sustainable development strategies at the regional level, with a particular view on the treatment of uncertain information. After a survey of various regional sustainable development studies, several methodological issues pertaining to regional sustainability are presented and discussed, which lay the foundation for the central approach in this paper, viz. the use of critical threshold values. Based on a multidimensional indicator system, a systematic multicriteria model is proposed by employing the recently developed and user-friendly flag model. This model is able to take into consideration various relevant classes of (non) compliance with critical threshold values. By means of this model an empirical case study is undertaken for the Songkhla/Hat Yai area in southern Thailand. Three policy scenarios (decentralization, sectoral and regional promotion and environmental protection) are systematically evaluated using a blend of the above-mentioned critical threshold value and the flag approach. It is concluded that in general the decentralization policy is slightly more preferable than the sectoral and regional development scenario and significantly more preferable than the environmental protection scenario for the region concerned. The analytical tools used (a qualitative systems approach, the use of critical threshold values and the flag model) appeared to yield a satisfactory contribution to sustainability assessment, even in case of qualitative information.

Decision Aid with the MCDA-RES Software: A Wind-Hydro Energy Application for an Island of the Aegean, Greece

Abstract Energy planning refers to providing sufficient power to human societies while at the same time underlies resource, economic environmental, social and technological constraints. The complexity of the task renders multi-criteria decision analysis techniques a useful tool in the decision process. Multi-criteria decision analysis techniques offer a transparent way of elaborating on decision problems, which include many criteria and different decision-makers. This article presents the MCDA-RES multi-criteria decision-analysis software and its application in a case-study regarding a wind-hydro hybrid energy project for an island in Greece where the performance of alternatives on a set of different criteria and the preference of the decision-makers is assessed. The analysis showed that no group consensus could be directly established; still some alternatives performed better than others and a way towards a compromise solution could be revealed.

Multicriteria Evaluation of Transport Policies

The objective of this chapter is to review the use of multicritera analysis (MCA) in transportation planning. The chapter offers various historical and methodological reflections on evaluation theory with a particular view on the potential of multiple criteria decision tools. A classification of various methods as well as a concise overview of the use of these methods in transportation will be also be offered in the chapter.

A Comparative Industrial Profile Analysis of urban regions in Western Europe: an application of rough set classification

This paper analyses the locational suitability of industrial sites in five urban regions in Western Europe for five classes of economic activity. In the selected regions a total of 46 industrial sites and office locations were visited and judged on their suitability for each of the five classes of economic activity. Given the small sample size and the qualitative nature of the information collected, conventional statistical tools could not be applied, and rough set analysis was used. This proved to be a useful tool in identifying the major driving forces in the relative competitive position of the European regions. The study shows that the regions are not competitors in all aspects, but have their own individual geographic–economic specialisations.