An integrated neutrosophic Z-numbers based CRITIC-EDAS decision model for smart solar panel evaluation in sustainable energy planning

With the rise of environmental concerns, the transition to sustainable energy has become an international priority. Solar energy has emerged as the most eco-friendly source of renewable energy. Solar panels are crucial to this transition for the successful deployment of solar energy technologies. Given the long-term investment, selecting optimal solar panels remains challenging due to imprecision and subjectivity in real-world decision-making. To solve this problem, this article proposes a novel multi-criteria decision-making approach for the optimal selection of smart solar panels, that is, neutrosophic Z-numbers criteria importance through intercriteria correlation evaluation based on distance from average solution (CRITIC-EDAS). The neutrosophic Z-numbers (NZN) provide a potent mathematical structure for managing uncertainty by integrating truth, indeterminacy, and falsity with reliability factors. The main contribution of this paper is to apply the criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) in a NZN environment and an alternative evaluation method called evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS). The CRITIC determines the objective weighting of the criteria, and the EDAS ranks the alternatives. A real-world case study is conducted for Turpan, one of the hottest and most solar energy-intensive cities in China, to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach with NZN. The perceptions of three expert decision makers are integrated to evaluate and rank the alternatives to solar panels concerning several pertinent design criteria. In addition, the accuracy and reliability of the proposed model are checked by conducting sensitivity and comparative analyses.