Evaluation of Renewable Energy Resources for Business Investments in Turkey by Using Fuzzy Multi-criteria Decision-Making Methods

Abstract

Energy is the main resource that countries need for economic and social development. As a result of increasing population, global growth and industrialization, energy needs are increasing day by day. In recent years, fossil fuels used to meet the increasing demand are declining due to environmental issues. Therefore, the importance of the energy obtained from alternative energy sources has come to the fore as a necessity. Turkey is a country, rich in diversity and potential of renewable energy sources. In addition, due to its geographical location, it receives a large amount of solar and wind energy. Turkey is also one of the few countries worldwide in terms of solar and wind potential. It is imperative that our country uses its renewable energy resources to its advantage by virtue of its strategic position in the World. Therefore, it has become necessary to conduct studies that evaluate the renewable energy source alternatives of our country and reveal the best options. In this paper, renewable energy potential and usage data of the Earth and Turkey has examined firstly, then fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making methods have been resorted to with a view to selecting optimal plant sites in terms of criteria classed as land, social, and financial criteria for business investments. This research is a guide for business and enterprises that intend to make investment for renewable energy.KeywordsRenewable energyMulti criteria decision makingLocation selectionFuzzy logic