Integrating fuzzy multi-criteria analysis for sustainable configuration of an on-grid hybrid renewable energy system: case study of Tunisia

Around the world, the tendency to integrate hybrid renewable energy sources (HRES) is becoming more popular due to sustainable electricity supply. However, determining the best sizing is a complex problem. Most existing decision aid tools to evaluate this design only consider the economic aspect. The use of just one criterion for determining the most appropriate HRES has been considered insufficient in terms of sustainability. To overcome this gap, this paper develops a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) to obtain sustainable and resilient design of grid HRES for the electrification. Then, we made use of fuzzy multi-attribute decision making (FMADM) and multi-objective decision making (FMODM) by considering conflicting objectives aiming in elaborating a sustainable configuration of HRES. The proposed methodology was tested and validated with a real case study in Rades, Tunisia. The results highlight that the selected HRES not only ensures an economical system but also provides environmental and social advantages.