Use of Multiple Perspectives and Decision Modeling for PV Technology Assessment

Renewable energy generation technologies are complex systems that have wide-ranging implications in their production and deployment. Using multiple perspectives such as social, technological, economic, environmental, and political (STEEP) and their decomposition into multiple criteria or indicators provide a broader yet explicit assessment of the technology under consideration. An effective method of determining the relative importance of a criterion with respect to others is by hierarchical decision modeling and expert judgment quantification instruments. These combined approaches can improve decision making for technology assessment and selection. This paper describes the approach and presents an example for photovoltaic solar technologies.