Bioethanol facility location selection using best-worst method

One of the major factors in the success of renewable energy is finding a proper location for production facilities. At a national level, different parts of a country (e.g. provinces) can be seen as alternatives that can be assessed based on a set of criteria, and ranking them to identify the best location. The focus in this paper is on identifying the best location for the production of bioethanol. After a comprehensive literature review, an evaluation framework is proposed based on the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental and social). Using data provided by a sample of experts in a developing country – Iran – and applying the best-worst method (BWM), a number of decision-making criteria are evaluated. Performance data involving the various provinces of Iran are collected from different sources. The performance data and the weights identified through BWM are used to calculate an overall score for each province, which is then used to rank the provinces, with the province of Khuzestan (closely followed by Tehran) being identified as the most suitable province for bioethanol production in Iran.