• Energy Research

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of population mobility on electricity generation in Russian cities in the conditions of the spread of COVID-19, and identify hotspots. Furthermore, the evaluation is also conducted using hybrid fuzzy decision-making modelling. In this context, q-ROF DEMATEL and TOPSIS methods are taken into consideration. Additionally, a comparative evaluation is also performed with the help of Intuitionistic and Pythagorean fuzzy sets. The results are quite similar that allows to conclude that the findings are reliable and coherent. The study proves the hypothesis that human behavior changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and electricity consumption is declining in major cities around the world. The biggest fall in energy generation was in Moscow and Yekaterinburg. In St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod, the fall in energy generation is no so crucial because these cities have low building density. The study uses Long Short-Term Memory models with many different parameters. The Q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Sets model forecasts new COVID-19 using ten parameters. This study identifies factors influencing the spread of COVID-19 based on the theory of "broken windows" and outlines directions in limiting population mobility, which can form the basis of state policy. According to the analysis the air temperature is the variable that most affects this process.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the indicators affecting the decision of investors in nuclear energy sector within the scope of behavioral economics. There are two different stages in the analysis process in this paper. First, after a detailed literature review, six different behavioral economics biases are selected as the criteria. Secondly, these factors are weighted for the nuclear energy investors. For this purpose, fuzzy DEMATEL methodology is used. The findings indicate that uncertainty avoidance and overconfidence bias are the most essential factors affecting the decision of investors. Similarly, the mental accounting bias and regret avoidance also have important impacts for this situation. However, loss aversion bias and lack of self-control have the lowest weights for the nuclear energy investors. Additionally, with respect to the impact relation map, it is concluded that uncertainty avoidance is the most influencing issue whereas overconfidence bias is identified as the most influenced factor. Our results suggest that that strategies should be implemented to decrease the anxiety of the nuclear energy investments. For this purpose, governments should take some actions to minimize the uncertainty in the market. For instance, providing loans with low interest rate can minimize interest rate risk. This will probably decrease the anxiety of the nuclear energy investors.

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of coal energy on the economic development of countries. For this purpose, similar studies in the literature have been examined and nine different criteria have been determined for three dimensions affecting the use of coal energy. In order to determine the most important factors, an analysis is performed with IT2 fuzzy DANP method. The most important contribution of this study to the literature is that a proposal can be made for the use of coal energy by considering both positive and negative opinions related to this energy. On the other hand, IT2 fuzzy DANP method has been taken into consideration in this study for the first-time regarding coal energy and it is believed that methodological originality has been achieved. It is identified that social factors have the most importance in the use of coal energy. In this context, environmental pollution, health problems and demographic factors resulting from the use of coal energy should be taken into consideration in the use of this energy. Thus, problems arising from the use of coal energy far outweigh the economic benefits of using this energy. Therefore, factors that may prevent air pollution, such as carbon capture technology, should be considered in the use of coal energy. In addition, the use of high-quality coal will contribute to the reduction of the problems caused with this energy. In addition, investing in renewable energy sources that do not have negative impacts on the environment is also important for the sustainability of future energy policies.

This study evaluates quality function deployment-based innovation pathways for renewable energy projects. For this purpose, a 2-stage novel model is suggested. Firstly, the weights of the factors are calculated by considering Pythagorean fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory methodology based on 2-tuple linguistic values. With the help of the impact-relation map, the activities, and immediate predecessors are identified. Within this context, five different paths are determined for this situation. Secondly, the duration pathways and innovation costs are calculated for renewable energy projects. The findings indicate that the activities A (customer expectations) and E (production requirement) play the most critical role because they take place in all different paths. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that renewable energy investment companies should take necessary actions to satisfy customer expectations, such as offering affordable products and providing necessary information for the use of these projects.

AbstractThis study evaluates financial innovation priorities for renewable energy investors by generating a novel hybrid fuzzy decision-making model. First, SERVQUAL-based customer needs for financial innovation are weighted with decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory based on picture fuzzy sets. Second, the financial innovation priorities are ranked by technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solutions based on picture fuzzy rough sets. In this process, Theory of the solution of inventive problems-based technical characteristics for financial services, the process for innovative services, and competencies for financial innovation are considered using quality function deployment phases. In addition, the Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje method is also considered for an alternative ranking. Similarly, sensitivity analysis is also performed by considering five different cases. It is determined that the ranking priorities based on the proposed model are almost identical, demonstrating the proposed model’s validity and reliability. Assurance is the most crucial factor for the customer needs regarding the financial innovation priorities for renewable energy investors. Concerning the financial innovation priorities, the product is the essential priority for financial innovation; hence, it is recommended that companies engage qualified employees to effectively design the financial innovation for renewable energy investors. Additionally, necessary training should be given to the employees who currently work in the company, which can increase the renewable energy investors’ trust in the innovative financial products. Companies should mainly focus on the product to provide better financial innovation to attract renewable energy investors. An effectively designed financial innovation product can help solve the financing problem of renewable energy investors.

This study aims to identify the factors affecting economic inequality in emerging seven (E7) countries. Within this framework, first, a wide literature review has been made and 12 different criteria which are thought to affect economic inequality have been determined. These criteria were weighted according to their importance with the help of interval type-2 (IT2) fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method. Then, by using these weighted criteria, the E7 countries were ranked according to economic equality performance with IT2 fuzzy Multi-Objective Optimization by Ratio Analysis (MOORA) and IT2 fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods. The findings show that fair taxation, the equality of education provided by the state, and the uncontrolled growth of financial markets have a significant effect on the economic inequality. On the other side, Russia and China are the most successful countries in terms of economic equality, whereas India and Brazil have the worst performances. While considering these results, it can be said that the taxation system must be fair to eliminate the economic inequality. For this purpose, E7 countries should implement direct taxes, such as wealth tax to transfer funds from the rich to middle- and low-income groups. In addition, these countries should offer equal education opportunities to all citizens which affects their future income level. Finally, legal authorities should make the necessary arrangements and prevent excessive risk of financial system in the country so that the financial system in the country can be maintained in a healthy manner.

This study aimed to evaluate the energy policies and investments in renewable energy resources. In this context, developing energy policy and investing in energy were defined as two different factors for renewable energy. Additionally, eight different criteria were also selected based on these two different factors. In the first stage of the analysis, these criteria were evaluated by using a correlation coefficient based on interval type-2 fuzzy sets. The findings show that five criteria have a relationship with policy factors, whereas seven criteria are related to the investment factor. After that, the fuzzy DEMATEL approach based on interval type-2 fuzzy sets were used to weight these criteria. It was identified that policy returns, policy facilities, and policy technology were the most important criteria. Additionally, a performance evaluation of renewable energy investment alternatives was made with a fuzzy TOPSIS approach based on interval type-2 fuzzy sets. It was concluded that wind and solar are the most significant renewable energy investment alternatives. Therefore, it is recommended that there should be government supports for wind and solar energy investments. Within this context, corporate tax discounts for these companies, customs duty decrease for the items used in the investments, and providing qualified personnel in this area can attract the attention of these investors.

Investments in microgeneration technologies help to boost the usage of clean energy while reducing pollution. However, selecting the appropriate investment remains the most critical phase in developing these technologies. This study aims to design a multi-criteria decision-making method (MCDM) to evaluate investment alternatives for microgeneration energy technologies. The proposed MCDM is based on a Multi Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (M-SWARA), to define the relative importance of the factors. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Soft Sets (q-ROFSs) are used to rank investment alternatives. Calculations were also made with Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets (IFSs) and Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets (PFSs). For analysis, five evaluation criteria were selected based on the literature: frequency of maintenance, ease of installation, environmental adaptation, transmission technologies, and efficiency of cost. Similarly, six alternatives for microgeneration technology investments were selected: ground source heat pumps, micro hydroelectric power, micro combined heat and power, micro bioelectrochemical fuel cell systems, small-scale wind turbines, and photovoltaic systems. The results showed that cost efficiency was the most significant factor in the effectiveness of microgeneration energy investments, and the photovoltaic system was the best alternative to increase microgeneration energy technology investment performance. Furthermore, the results were the same for the analyses made with IFSs and PFSs, demonstrating the reliability of the proposed method. Therefore, investors in microgeneration technologies should prioritize photovoltaic systems. This conclusion is supported by the fact that photovoltaic is a renewable energy source that has witnessed the most technological improvements and cost reductions over the last decade.