For countries like India, energy policy challenge lies in planning for a national energy portfolio which ensures uninterrupted supply of affordable electricity while reducing carbon emissions with the least socio-economic impediments like land acquisition. This study illustrates prioritization of seven major energy alternatives for power generation on the basis of their direct and dynamic land requirements, generation cost, carbon emission and reliability of generation. Detailed data of typical power plants in India are used, and the energy sources are then ranked using the MCDM TOPSIS technique in five different scenarios of policy focus. Results indicate that (i) India needs to focus more on gas-based generation to phase out coal and gradually transition to a cleaner energy path and (ii) among renewables, solar is a clearer choice over wind in terms of both cost and land requirement per tonne of carbon abatement.

中文翻译：

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能源十字路口和能源选择的优先顺序：以印度为例

对于像印度这样的国家，能源政策挑战在于规划国家能源组合，以确保不间断供应负担得起的电力，同时以最少的社会经济障碍（如土地征用）减少碳排放。本研究根据直接和动态的土地需求、发电成本、碳排放和发电可靠性，说明了用于发电的七种主要能源替代方案的优先顺序。使用印度典型发电厂的详细数据，然后使用 MCDM TOPSIS 技术在五个不同的政策重点场景中对能源进行排名。结果表明，(i) 印度需要更多地关注以天然气为基础的发电，以逐步淘汰煤炭并逐步过渡到更清洁的能源道路，以及 (ii) 在可再生能源中，