Energy Decisions and the Environment : A Guide to the Use of Multicriteria Methods

Planning, operating, and policy making in the electric utility and natural gas sectors involves important trade-offs among economic, social, and environmental criteria. These trade-offs figure prominently in ongoing debates about how to meet growing energy demands and how to restructure the worlds power industry. <em>Energy</em> <em>Decisions and the Environment: A Guide to the Use of Multicriteria</em> <em>Methods</em> reviews practical tools for multicriteria (also called multiobjective) decision analysis that can be used to quantify trade-offs and contribute to more consistent, informed, and transparent decision making. These methods are designed to generate and effectively communicate information about trade-offs; to help people form, articulate, and apply value judgments in decision making; and to promote effective negotiation among stakeholders with competing interests. <em>Energy Decisions and the Environment: A Guide to the Use of</em> <em>Multicriteria Methods</em> includes explanations of a wide range of methods, tutorial applications that readers can duplicate, a detailed review of energy-environment applications, and three in-depth case studies.