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Abstract: Background: As the countries of the Western Balkans (WB) have committed to sustainable development, the process of regulatory and economic adjustment is underway. As part of the aforementioned fact, the WB countries have commenced exploitation of energy from renewable sources, among which hydropower is the most important. The main objective of the study is to analyse the status of renewable energy transition in the WB region, focusing on the construction and exploitation of small hydropower plants (SHPPs), as well as a proposal for an original model for decision making in this field, based on a multidimensional decision-making space. Namely, in most cases, there is resistance to the construction of SHPPs in the WB territory, as well as divided opinion among investors, companies, environmental movements, academia, and citizens on this issue. This shows that the entire decision-making process has to be reviewed and re-designed. Results: The results of the study show that the construction of SHPPs caused damage to environmentally protected areas, living conditions of local communities, touristic and agricultural potential. All of the foregoing matters have led to mass protests by citizens and a high degree of mistrust so that the future of SHPPs in the WB is extremely uncertain. The assessment of the acceptability of existing SHPPs through the proposed model showed that 74% of SHPPs cannot be considered acceptable from the aspect of the location where they were built, and from the aspect of the impact on the quality of life of the local population. Accordingly, this paper provides suggestions for much-needed improvements. Conclusions: The construction of SHPPs is causing numerous controversies, opposition, and resistance. To find the right solution, and contribute to sustainable energy and economic development, it is necessary to develop a fully transparent and objective policy system in this field, and to use contemporary models for decision making with emphasis on the involvement local communities in the decision-making process.
Keywords: sustainable energy transition, small hydropower plants, environmental awareness, modelling, decision making process, Western Balkans
Published in DKUM: 28.06.2024; Views: 420; Downloads: 5
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Abstract: This paper suggests the use of dynamic population size throughout the optimization process which is applied on the numerical model of a medium voltage post insulator. The main objective of the dynamic population is reducing population size, to achieve faster convergence. Change of population size can be done in any iteration by proposed method. The multiobjective optimization process is based on the PSO algorithm, which is suitably modifiedin order to operate with the principle of the optimal Pareto front.
Keywords: differential evolution, energy, optimization, hydro power plants
Published in DKUM: 10.07.2015; Views: 1391; Downloads: 46
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