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A multi-perspective assessment approach of renewable energy production: policy perspective analysis

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Abstract

Around the globe, all developing and developed economies focus on renewable energy sources for clean and sustainable economic growth and aim to decrease carbon emission to improve the climatic condition. This study aims to evaluate the feasible renewable energy source in Pakistan and study the criteria based on the investigation of wind energy, biomass energy, geothermal and solar energy, and their effects on Pakistan’s climate. As renewable energy, clean and sustainable production is only produced from renewable energy sources; the current paper bears the viability of five primary renewable energy sources in Pakistan. This article established an advanced fuzzy (AHP) with a multi-perspective approach based on the expert assessment to select the efficient renewable energy in Pakistan. Further in this study, we utilized the DEA model to investigate the relative efficacy of renewable energy. This study indicated that wind energy is the efficient renewable energy source in Pakistan, which showed an efficiency score of 0. 1000. Our results further suggested that wind energy’s next option for renewable energy solar best for renewable production in Pakistan. The results further exposed that the solar is the second-highest energy source with an efficiency score of 0. 777. Moreover, geothermal gets a less efficient score, that of 0.198. Further, our study showed that the economic benefits (EBs) and environmental implication criteria are significant in this research. This article gives a strong recommendation for a future wind energy source in Pakistan. Our results suggest that the best renewable energy source in the future is wind energy for the sustainable and economic development of Pakistan and other developing countries.

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The data that support the findings of this study are openly available on request.

Abbreviations

DEA:

Data envelopment analysis

RES:

Renewable energy resources

FAHP:

Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process

NREL:

National renewable energy laboratory

EB:

Economic benefits

MCDA:

Multiple-criteria development analysis

REPS:

Renewable energy production system

ACI:

Aerospace Center Institute

TFNs:

Fuzzy triangular numbers

SA:

Social acceptance

DMU:

Decision-making unit

EI:

Environmental impacts

CP:

Commercial potential

TP:

Technical potential

AHP:

Analytical hierarchy process

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Funding

This research is supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China, Number: (20& ZD127).

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All the authors contributed to this work. ZAB performed conceptualization, data creation, methodology, and writing—original draft. QT was involved in data creation, visualization, and supervision. HWK contributed to review and editing. MAN done writing—review & editing and software. GA performed visualization and editing. JH was involved in methodology, data curation, and visualization.

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Correspondence to Zulfiqar Ali Baloch.

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Baloch, Z.A., Tan, Q., Kamran, H.W. et al. A multi-perspective assessment approach of renewable energy production: policy perspective analysis. Environ Dev Sustain 24, 2164–2192 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01524-8

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