A decision model for energy resource selection in China

Energy is important to human existence, economic development and society progress, which is also related to safety of a country and sustainable growth of economy. China is a rapidly developing country, where the decisions about energy alternatives are critical. This paper discusses coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable energy resources as energy alternatives for China. The paper presents a hierarchical decision model for the selection of energy resources for China in the future. The results indicate that renewable energy, coal, nuclear energy, natural gas and petroleum are ranked in that order. The sensitivity analysis reflects that the most critical criterion in the energy selection is the current energy infrastructure.