Selection of power generation technology in Libya using grey theory approach

Abstract

With growing world population and rapid industrial economic growth in developing countries, demand for power generation becomes essential. Libya is among these countries and its demand increased as well to fulfil the local needs. There are some research papers carried out about power generation in Libya concentrated in the renewable power generation and treated a single technology to generate power. This paper covers the gap and compare some different technologies to facilitate the decision making process for selecting among these technologies. Selection of an appropriate power generation technology is a complex process. It is necessary to consider and take into account a wide range of parameters. This paper presents the determination of these parameters which influence the selection of power generation technology in particularly for developing countries.

Some parameters were chosen which influence the power generation technology selection. A questionnaire was used to collect the information by some experts in the field of power generation technologies. This paper answers the question of the best suitable technology for Libya because the investment in this field is so costly and making a wrong decision is not allowed, otherwise it will consume the big margin of the initial budget. Four main criteria are included in this paper that are economic, environmental, technical and social. A sub-criteria are also included to support this decision. The performances of six technologies of a power generation are evaluated by grey theory analysis and the best technology is selected.