A multi-criteria decision support tool for the assessment of household biogas digester programmes in rural areas. A case study in Peru
Household biogas digesters are a sustainable technology that can help rural families of low income countries meeting their basic energy needs and improving their standard of living. However, household biogas digester programmes are often promoted without any systematic planning which might help to o...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2018 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/125541 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/125541 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.06.064 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Biogas--Perú Anaerobic digestion Biogas programme Decision support tool Multi-criteria analysis Renewable energy Small-scale digester Biogàs--Perú Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Energies Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Energies::Recursos energètics renovables Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Energies::Recursos energètics renovables::Biogàs |
| Sumario: | Household biogas digesters are a sustainable technology that can help rural families of low income countries meeting their basic energy needs and improving their standard of living. However, household biogas digester programmes are often promoted without any systematic planning which might help to overcome several challenges for household digesters dissemination (e.g. lack of stakeholders’ involvement, investment cost, technology reliability and durability, lack of site-specific designs). The aim of this study is to develop and validate, for the first time, a multi-criteria decision support tool for the assessment of household biogas digester programmes in rural areas of Latin America. The method is divided into three decision levels. First of all, the rural communities where household digesters may be implemented are evaluated and prioritized. Secondly, the most appropriate digester model (i.e. masonry or plastic tubular digester) is selected. Finally, the most appropriate household digester design (e.g. volume, materials) is identified considering local conditions and beneficiaries’ needs. For that, a set of technical, environmental and socio-economic criteria were defined and weighted by stakeholders at all the decision levels. Furthermore, the tool was validated using three case studies dealing with the implementation of household anaerobic digesters in rural areas of the Peruvian Andes in order to show how it can assist non-profit organizations designing sustainable and successful biogas digester programmes. |
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