AHP Model for Selection of Sustainable Energy: A Focus on Power Generation and Supplying for End-users

AHP is one of important technology management tools for decision making that is used during technology selection process, and applied prior to acquisition of a new technology. In the last decade, AHP was discussed by numerous studies, covering wide-variety of areas, focusing on many criteria and sub-criteria, for the purposes of selecting, allocating, evaluating, or benchmarking different alternatives of technology. The use of AHP for selecting the source of renewable energy as the alternative for the non-renewable source of energy is important, especially to the environmental conscious’ end-users, or those who are living in the rural area. However, in the field of sustainable energy, AHP application for power generation focusing on the end-users is still limited. As a result, this study aims to develop an AHP model, by investigating the suitable group of criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives that will suit the needs of the end-users. This model will helps the relevant parties to identify the most suitable sources of technology for power generation to solve the end-users’ needs. To do this, secondary data were collected from the relevant empirical studies. Based on the descriptive analysis, it was found that the previous studies have ranked and prioritized each of these criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives differently, which implies a specific AHP model for the end-users should be developed. With the findings, this study has developed an AHP model comprising of four major criteria, each with three sub-criteria, and five alternatives. This model is being verified by an ongoing research in Malaysia.