Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Iran
2
M.Sc. Student in Business Administration, Noor Tuba Electronic Institute of Higher Education, Tehran, Iran
10.22091/jaem.2026.15921.1044
Abstract
Renewable microgrids are increasingly recognized as effective solutions for enhancing energy resilience, integrating distributed renewable resources, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. However, the intermittent nature of renewable generation makes the selection of appropriate green energy storage strategies a complex socio-technical decision problem. This study proposes an integrated Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH)–Best-Worst Method (BWM)–TOPSIS framework for prioritizing green energy storage strategies in renewable microgrids. First, CSH was applied to structure the decision problem by identifying stakeholders, boundary judgments, value assumptions, and legitimacy concerns. Based on expert interviews, seven main criteria were extracted: technical and operational performance, economic feasibility, environmental sustainability, safety, risk and resilience, social acceptance and energy justice, institutional and policy compatibility, and scalability and strategic flexibility. Second, BWM was used to determine the relative importance of these criteria. The results showed that technical and operational performance was the most important criterion, followed by economic feasibility and environmental sustainability. Third, TOPSIS was employed to rank seven energy storage alternatives. The findings indicated that lithium-ion batteries achieved the highest priority, followed by flywheel energy storage and pumped hydro storage. The results suggest that effective energy storage selection should not rely solely on technical and economic indicators but should also consider environmental, social, institutional, and ethical dimensions. The proposed framework contributes to transparent, legitimate, and comprehensive decision-making for sustainable microgrid planning.
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