A MULTI-OBJECTIVE DECISION-MAKING APPROACH TO SUPPORT THE DESIGN OF SOCIAL INNOVATIONS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR

Abstract

Abstract Social innovations in the energy sector (SIE) are essential for accelerating the transition to clean, renewable, and democratic energy while encouraging citizens' involvement. However, SIE lacks clear boundaries, making it challenging to make design decisions. Clear and effective design decisions can help identify opportunities and constraints that may impact the success of social innovations. To support decision-making in SIE design, this paper proposes a multi-objective decision-support model based on the definition and exploration of the SIE design space. The model integrates various objective functions related to economic, environmental, and social perspectives, to ensure that selected solutions are tailored to the needs of citizens. By exploring the SIE design space, the model allows designers to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different design options and select the most suitable solutions. To illustrate the proposed approach, this paper applies the model to a specific case of SIE: photovoltaic self-consumption. The findings of this paper provide a decision support model to assist SIE designers in making informed design decisions.