Evaluation of energy efficiency applications in container ports by AHP method

Nowadays, ports have become the focal point of both energy production and energy consumption. In this context, the maritime industry is in consensus on the need for the economic, environmental and technological structures of ports to support energy efficiency. Various energy efficiency practices are carried out to ensure sustainability in ports. However, the fact that energy efficiency depends on many factors makes it difficult to examine the studies in this field under a common roof. For example, efforts to save energy, new technological applications, use of renewable energy and reduction of environmental impacts arising from energy consumption are all applications that provide energy efficiency. Therefore it is necessary to determine various strategies in order to determine the practices that provide energy efficiency in ports and to carry them out systematically. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the literature by determining the priority order of energy efficiency criteria for container ports in Turkey. In this context, a questionnaire was applied to port authorities and academicians about the importance levels of these criteria. The criteria determined in the survey were compared among themselves using the AHP method, and it was concluded that levels of the first three criteria for container ports in Turkey were respectively electrification and automation technologies (0,1932), government incentives (0,1518) and green certificates (0,1056). According to the results of this thesis, plans can be made to increase the use of new technological developments in regard to the importance of the energy efficiency criteria determined for the ports in Turkey.