Multi-Criteria Decision-Making for marine renewable energy development: a review

The decarbonisation of energy systems has been a key driver for the advancement of renewable energy sources, including offshore wind, tidal, wave, and ocean thermal energies. As these resources increasingly become integral to national energy matrices, particularly in marine energy, it is crucial to analyse them using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods. This study aims to identify the primary topics addressed in MCDM applications related to Marine Renewable Energies (MREs) through a systematic literature review spanning the years 2000–2024. The research process involved five stages: (1) defining the problem, (2) surveying relevant papers, (3) conducting a preliminary analysis of the papers, (4) performing a detailed review, and (5) selecting the final sample of articles for analysis. The findings reveal a strong focus on offshore wind, wave, tidal, and ocean thermal energy studies, often combining multiple technologies. A classification of the research topics indicates that the majority of publications address site selection and spatial planning problems, employing methods such as AHP, PROMETHEE, TOPSIS, and Fuzzy techniques, frequently integrated with GIS tools. Conversely, research on governance, legal, and licencing aspects of these technologies within the broader marine sector remains limited. While the development of MREs is recognised as a significant opportunity, challenges such as technological maturity, design standardisation, reliability, accessibility, and governance must be addressed to enable their widespread adoption.