Strengthening energy system resilience planning under uncertainty by minimizing regret

Abstract

This study applies the concept of regret in decision-making under uncertainty to an energy system optimization model to identify optimal robust and stochastic solutions amongst several design options. The approach is demonstrated on the case study of Accra, Ghana, considering uncertainties pertinent to the city, particularly under climate change. The evaluated uncertainty scenarios consider volatile fossil fuel supply, reduced hydropower generation, rising demand due to climate change-driven rural-urban migration and global warming, unplanned power outages due to increasing natural disasters, and currency depreciation. The evaluated systems include Pareto-optimal system solutions typically under consideration by planners, which balance costs and CO2 emissions. The regret performance is evaluated for each system subject to each uncertainty scenario. A near-CO2-minimized system is the optimal robust and stochastic least-regret solution. Two factors drive this result: (1) a diverse technology set, which provides generation and cross-sectoral flexibility for adaptation under uncertainty, and (2) effectively balancing rising investment and operation costs with decreasing unmet demand costs. The demonstrated method provides energy planners and policymakers with a pragmatic, effective and fast approach, which offers new insights into long-term energy system planning to improve resilience under uncertainty, supporting the aims of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 11.