Prioritization of Renewable Energy Alternatives by Using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Model: A Case Study of India

Abstract

Energy consumption is on the increase as a result of the growing population of India. Current conventional energy sources do not have an appropriate amount to meet energy demand. Economical and renewable energy alternative solutions must also be considered to satisfy this need. Renewable energies can be seen as a solution to this rising need for electricity. Although the selection of alternative renewable energy sources is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) issue, and it is important to consider many competing factors. The main aim of this study is to develop an analytical hierarchy for the prioritization of three potential renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and hydro energy in the context of India. The factors were recognized from the available literature studies and also through interactions with ten experts from academics and several industries. Then, nine factors were selected and categorized into three groups: economic factors, technical factors, and environmental factors. The analytical hierarchical method (AHP) is used to calculate the relative weights of the evaluation factors and to identify the alternatives. The final result showed that hydro energy with a priority weight percentage of (39.91%) had the highest rank followed by solar energy (34.9%) and wind energy (25.18%). So, hydro energy is India's best alternative to renewable energy sources, supported by solar and wind energy.