Evaluating Biomass Energy Potential with Multi-Criteria Decision Methods: Insights for Policy Makers

The global shift towards renewable and sustainable energy has accelerated in recent years due to the depletion of fossil fuels and their detrimental effects on the environment. Despite their environmental advantages, renewable energy technologies often require substantial investment, and the optimal siting of energy conversion facilities remains a critical challenge, particularly in ensuring cost-efficiency and environmental compatibility. Biomass-based electricity production is a key contributor to sustainable energy transitions. This study develops a reliable decision-support framework for determining suitable locations for biomass power plants. Initially, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify and classify the evaluation criteria. Expert opinions from 21 professionals were then collected, and their judgments were tested for reliability using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and statistical significance levels. The results confirmed a high degree of agreement among experts, providing robust weights for the criteria. These weights were subsequently applied in the TOPSIS and VIKOR methods to evaluate location alternatives. A comparison of the two approaches revealed strong consistency and methodological reliability. The findings demonstrate that integrating expert judgment validation with multi-criteria decision-making techniques provides a transparent and evidence-based tool for policy-makers in planning sustainable biomass energy investments.