Study and analysis of non-conventional energy sources for an Eastern State of India

Abstract

A modern world is one which is sustainable, economic and environment-friendly. Over the years, there have been a number of incentives introduced to bring about this change in society. One of the most affected sectors under this umbrella of change has been the power sector. A drift from conventional pollution causing sources to non-conventional (renewable) sources has been the utmost target for such reforms. However, presence of a large number of newly developed renewable energy sources makes it difficult for the decision-maker as to which renewable energy is meant for which area, based on their suitability index. In this work, six renewable energy sources were taken up, and on the basis of ten different criteria from ge nres inclusive of economic, societal and environmental aspects, they were judged using a Fuzzy Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) analogy, which is a Multi-Criteria Decision (MCDM) methodology in itself, befitting to a situation like this, for the state of Odisha in India. The work was performed to aid the governance of the nation in any incentive towards investing in a renewable energy system and to pave way to creation of a general analogy in any such study of similar nature.