Renewable Energy Technologies for Generation Expansion Planning: a fuzzy modified similarity-based approach

Due to the preference placed on sustainability of resources and the need for reduction in the emissions related to electricity generation, various sustainable developmental strategies have been proposed. These policies are usually based on social, technical, economic, environmental and policy aspects. One of the strategies targeted at ensuring sustainability and emission reduction is the inclusion of low-emission electricity generation technologies in the future power plant mix. This study proposes a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model based on a fuzzy modified similarity-based method for the evaluation and ranking of five green energy alternatives for generation expansion. In order to implement the proposed model, a number of criteria and attributes are defined for implementation. The results show that based on the social, technical, economic and environmental (STEE) criteria the wind technology is the most suitable option while the hydro technology is the least suitable. With regards to the techno-economic perspective, the wind technology was also identified as the most suitable while the geothermal technology is the least suitable option.