A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Green Hydrogen Production via Renewable Energy Sources

The global transition toward cleaner energy systems has intensified interest in green hydrogen as a sustainable and low-emission alternative to fossil-based fuels. However, selecting the most appropriate hydrogen production method remains a complex decision-making challenge due to the interplay of technical, economic, environmental, and social factors. This study applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a widely recognized multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, to systematically evaluate and rank various green hydrogen production technologies. A hierarchical framework was developed incorporating critical criteria such as investment cost, operational efficiency, environmental sustainability, and technological maturity. Expert judgments were used to assign relative weights to each criterion, and competing alternatives were assessed accordingly. The AHP analysis identified RW-Biomass: Bio Photolysis as the most favorable hydrogen production method, achieving the highest overall priority score (0.102), indicating its strong performance across the selected evaluation criteria. These results highlight the method’s potential in aligning sustainability goals with practical energy planning, providing valuable insights for decision-makers in shaping future hydrogen strategies. The study confirms the effectiveness of AHP in delivering structured, transparent, and evidence-based assessments in the context of sustainable energy development.