Abstract
Urban energy system planning (UESP) is a topic of growing concern for cities in deregulated energy markets, who plan to decrease energy demand, reduce their dependency on fossil fuels, and increase the share of renewable energy sources. UESP being a highly multi-sectoral and multi-actor task, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods are frequently used in the decision processes. These methods may provide support in organizing and identifying solutions to problems with conflicting objectives. However, knowing which method to use is generally not straightforward, as the appropriateness of a method or combination of methods depends on the decision problem’s context. This article therefore reviewed scientific papers to characterize and analyze MCDA problems and methods in the context of UESP. The review systematically explores issues such as the scope of the problems, the alternatives and criteria considered, the expected decision outcomes, the decision analysis methods and the rationales for selecting and combining them, and the role of values in driving the decision problems. The final outcome is a synthesis of the data and insights obtained, which may help potential users identify appropriate decision analysis methods based on given problem characteristics.
Highlights
In the past decades, the energy sector has undergone profound changes and is currently facing new challenges
Løken (2007) observed a lack of studies covering simultaneously multiple sectors and energy carriers, advocating more integrated approaches. He and Hobbs and Horn (1997) advocated the combination of multiple multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods, as the choice of a method strongly influences the decision outcome. Stemming from these lacks, as well as other open issues impacting decision outcomes (Section “Review Questions”), this review investigated the literature on Urban energy system planning (UESP) involving MCDA, with the aim of achieving the two following objectives: 1. To characterize and classify the nature and types of MCDA problems related to UESP, investigating aspects such as the problem’s scope, alternative generation methods, criteria used, decision problematic, and planning driver
Papers were grouped according to the typologies in Section “Problem Scope.”
Summary
The energy sector has undergone profound changes and is currently facing new challenges. Concerns for climate change, linked to GHG emissions and fossil fuel consumption, have led many countries to actively decrease their energy demand, reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and increase the share of decentralized and renewable energy (IEA, 2008). While the deregulation of the energy market in many countries has offered new opportunities in achieving this transition, it increased the complexity and scope of energy planning (Makkonen, 2005). In this context, cities play an important role, by reshaping the urban form and their energy infrastructure. Urban planners play a considerable role, as they must mediate and account for the many interests at stake when making decisions (Teriman et al, 2010). Several methods focusing essentially on monetary aspects, such as cost–benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, or financial analysis, have been qualified as “reductionist” techn iques for failing to capture the multiple
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