A Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis of barriers to the use of biomass in the district heating system

Abstract

The use of biomass as a form of renewable energy source in order to provide district heating is a very important issue. This paper analyzes the barriers to the use of biomass in district heating in the city Bor located in Eastern Serbia. The subject of this paper is of a complex nature and requires the use of a multi-criteria decision-making method. The aim is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the internal factors in a heating company and external factors that influence the introduction of biomass and define the most important challenges in the use of renewable energy sources for the need of district heating. Based on the reviewed literature and interviews with the representatives of the heating company, 5 categories of barriers and 22 sub-categories in them are identified. A Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) multi-criteria decision-making method is used to prioritize the barriers. According to the results of the prioritization, the most important barrier category to switching from the use of coal to the use of biomass is technical barrier, followed by economic category of barriers.