Energy resource allocation using multi-objective goal programming: the case of Lebanon

The traditional energy-resources allocation problem is concerned with the a llocation of limited resources among the end-uses such that the overall ret urn is maximized. In the past, several techniques have been used to deal wi th such a problem. In this paper, the energy allocation process is looked a t from two points of view: economy and environment. The economic objectives include costs, efficiency, energy conservation, and employment generation. The environmental objectives consider environmental friendliness factors. The objective functions are first quantified and then transformed into math ematical language to obtain a multi-objective allocation model based upon p re-emptive goal programming techniques. The proposed method allows decision -makers to encourage or discourage specific energy resources for the variou s household end-uses. The case of Lebanon is examined to illustrate the use fulness of the proposed technique. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. Ail right s reserved.