A MULTIOBJECTIVE APPROACH TO RURAL ENERGY-POLICY ANALYSIS

Energy demand in rural areas is generally met by local energy resource s. These areas are normally overlooked in the energy-planning process due mainly to the lack of data and proper analytical tools. In this pa per, we apply a suitable multiobjective programming method for rural e nergy analysis. Multiobjective programming methods provide decision ma kers with an opportunity to negotiate and explore different energy opt ions. As an illustration of the proposed method, we have analysed the energy situation of a rural area and examined the tradeoff between ene rgy supply, investment for energy programs, and employment generation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.