Analytical tools to assess and unlock sustainable bioenergy potential |
May 2010
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Bioenergy development and energy planning strategy is a field that is subject to many factors: uncertainty, long timeframes and high investments, along with the need to satisfy multiple decision-makers with many conflicting criteria.
Multiple criteria analytical tool or decision support tool is a generic term for all methods that help decision-makers according to their preferences, in cases where there is more than one conflicting criterion. The aim of these tools is to help decision-makers to organize and synthesize the collected information for use in supporting their decisions. These tools can also help decision-makers understand and identify the paramount criteria in the decision process.
The purpose of this report is to provide a collection of some important analytical tools for policymakers that have been proposed over the years or that are still under improvement or development.
The tools have been classified on the basis of their relevance to different assessment steps of the value chain of sustainable bioenergy production and use. The main advantages of the different tools, as well as the difficulties to which they may be subject, are evaluated. This work would set the stage for further analysis and comparison among different decisionsupport tools and their use to assess different phases of the development of a sustainable bioenergy sector.
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