Sustainability implications in electrical energy substations: Green supplier’s performance evaluation using fuzzy TOPSIS method

Abstract

Sustainability is getting preference now-a-days in most of the countries in the world. This implies industrial and other developments for economic growth, and of course civilization, but certainly not at the cost of environmental degradation. Environmental conservation is a must. One of the major components of industrial sectors is their electrical energy inputs through electrical substation. Numerous research addresses the issue of energy pollution, cantering on fossil fuel. A very few research can be found which address the issue of pollution generated from electrical energy. This research addresses this issue, with special attention to electrical substations. In the last two or three decades, several electrical equipment manufacturers have started producing this equipment in Bangladesh, which were previously import-oriented. This equipment use various types of oils, acids, zinc and other metals, which are all environmentally hazardous. Thus, any industrial company, buying such equipment from substation manufacturers, should consider green aspects. As such, now it is of prime importance to select green suppliers of substation equipment. Since selection of right or green supplier involves multi-criteria evaluation, Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique is essential. Additionally, both qualitative and quantitative criteria require fuzzy analysis to make it more precise and realistic. This research addressed the issue of environmental pollution, its sources, nature and severity, and their mitigation through selecting green suppliers.