Electric Power Supply Chain Research Articles

A multi-stage exponential production model for the assessment of China’s regional electric power supply chain efficiency: Does digital innovation matter?

A multi-stage exponential production model for the assessment of China’s regional electric power supply chain efficiency: Does digital innovation matter?

A Review of Demand-Side Resources in Active Distribution Systems: Communication Protocols, Smart Metering, Control, Automation, and Optimization

Power systems have been going through a barrage of transformations due to the recent developments in the field, such as deregulation and restructuring of the electric power supply chain, the proliferation of distributed generation (DG), and advancements in information and communications technologies. These have significantly impacted the approach to the planning, design, and operation of active distribution networks or systems. Due to this constant change, the system has become more complex to plan, maintain, and control. In this paper, the benefits and challenges of active distribution systems relative to traditional passive and active distribution systems are evaluated and investigated while the management and operational characteristics of demand-side resources in active distribution systems (ADS) are studied. In a typical ADS, there exist several vulnerabilities and threats that eventually pose a challenge in the control and automation of substations. These vulnerabilities and threats are reviewed, and potential mitigation measures are suggested. Also in this paper, the communication technologies and their implementation in terms of control and automation capabilities in active distribution networks are also studied. From this work, it is concluded that communication technologies play an integral role in the realization of more active distribution networks and that the Internet of Energy (IoE) is a major player in ADS in the reduction of faults due to human error, fast responses, and improving the stability of power supply. Cyber threats are also and will still be a continuous challenge in smart metering technologies and in substation automation systems (SAS), which will require frequent evaluation and mitigation measures so as not to prevent the power supply system from collapsing.

The electric power supply chain network design and emission reduction policy: a comprehensive review

Electrical energy is unique because it must sustain a consistent production and consumption balance. This guarantees that the "generation-transmission-distribution-consumption-storage" electric power supply chain (EPSC) continues to be connected and inseparable through the power system's complete operation. This paper is a type of secondary study. According to the nature of the article which is qualitative, the grounded theory (GT) method for reviewing the literature has been used. A systematic review of existing literature is carried out over 12years (2010-2022) by classifying it based on several dimensions such as phase sources of production, the total fixed cost of the real variable, and criteria of decision-making and emissions. The literature is further divided into categories based on the year of publication and the journals in which it was published. The study shows a direction for future studies in the electric power domain of the supply chain while utilizing an operations strategy approach.

A socio-economic and environmental vulnerability assessment model with causal relationships in electric power supply chains

The electric power industry is uniquely vulnerable to natural and human-made risks such as natural disasters, climate change, and cybersecurity. This study proposes a vulnerability assessment framework to identify and assess the risks associated with the electric power supply chain in the United Kingdom and study the causal relationship among them with the neutrosophic revised decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (NR-DEMATEL) method. We further introduce a novel hesitant expert selection model (HESM) to assist decision-makers with expert selection and weight determination. We present a case study in the United Kingdom power supply chain to demonstrate the applicability and efficacy of the proposed method in this study. This is the first comprehensive risk interdependence analysis of the United Kingdom's power supply chain. The findings reveal natural disasters and climate change are the most crucial risks followed by industrial action, affordability, political instability, and sabotage/terrorism.

Setting up a molecular diagnostic laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 testing: Experience of a single centre in a resource-constrained setting.

BackgroundMolecular detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is at the forefront of the global response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, molecular diagnostic capabilities are poorly developed in many African countries. Efforts by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and other public health agencies to scale up facilities for molecular testing across the continent are well documented, but there are few accounts from the laboratories at the frontline.InterventionAs part of an institutional response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, signed a memorandum of understanding with a World Bank-supported institution to obtain a non-proprietary testing platform, renovated an existing molecular virology laboratory and validated the test process to make SARS-CoV-2 testing readily available for decision-making by frontline health workers. These efforts resulted in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital’s inclusion in the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 molecular laboratory network. The laboratory achieved a turnover of 12 123 tests within 7 months of operation. Challenges faced and dealt with include incompatible equipment, limited skilled manpower, unstable (unreliable) electric power supply, disrupted procurement and supply chain, and significant overhead costs.Lessons learntMolecular diagnostic capability is essential in laboratory preparedness for pandemic response and can be achieved by establishing collaborative networks in low-resource settings.RecommendationsMolecular diagnostic capabilities attained during the COVID-19 pandemic should be maintained by governmental support of the local biotechnology sector, collaboration with partners and stakeholders and the expansion of diagnostics to include other diseases of public health importance.

Electric Power Supply Chain Networks Design featuring Differential Pricing and Preventive Maintenance

The electric power supply chain network plays an important role in the world economy. It powers our homes, offices, and industries and runs various forms of transportation. This paper considers an electric power supply chain network design problem featuring differential pricing and preventive maintenance. We demonstrate that this general model can be formulated as the centralized and decentralized supply chain models. A continuous approximation approach is used to model the problems. The objective of these models is to determine the optimal power plants’ service area, electricity price, and preventive maintenance budget while maximizing the total network profit or the own organization’s benefits. Our model is applied to the case of a power company in northern Vietnam. We show that the proposed approach can be used to address real-world cases effectively. The results demonstrate that the use of differential pricing policy and preventive maintenance could much enhance power company profit.

A framework for electric vehicle power supply chain development

One anticipated pathway in society's decarbonization is the electrification of the transportation sector. From a power system perspective, transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) presages many impacts, both positive and negative. This study utilizes the theoretical framework of business model theory and a review of the existing literature to portray a rational development path for the electric vehicle power supply chain (EVPSC). Three phases of development were identified in which EVs transition from the present day's low utilization, to rapid development, to a mature technology dominating the transportation sector. Within these phases, the business content, business structure, and corresponding coordination modes were analyzed and discussed. The three phases of development are shown to dynamically interact, between development phases and the business models, providing insight into the content of the EVPSC. Such insight is necessary for developing coherent policies and institutional supports to foster efficient development of the EVPSC. This study provides a new perspective about EVPSC development, answers the core question on how to realize the coordinated development between EVs and the electric power system chain (EPSC) based on the model of EVPSC, and provides recommendations on the establishment of business models for the future EVPSC.

Coal-Electric Power Supply Chain Reduction and Operation Strategy under the Cap-and-Trade Model and Green Financial Background

For reliving the pressure of air pollution and corresponding the sustainability development policy in China, the companies are urging the creation of a highly productive low-carbon supply chain. This work uses price regulation, the cap-and-trade model, and a green financial policy background to establish a strategy for the coal–electric power supply chain with two-level carbon reduction and operation with financial constraints. A Stackelberg model was built to help investigate the rate of thermal order realization, the carbon reduction strategy in the coal enterprise, and the amount of thermal energy ordered in the electric enterprise. Results show that under a green financial background, a high bank loan discount rate for investing in carbon reduction technology equates to large carbon reduction in coal enterprises, large quantities of thermal energy ordered in electric enterprises, and high profit for coal and electric enterprises. However, the realization rate of thermal power ordered decreased when the price regulation become strict, thereby reducing the profit and carbon emission in electric enterprise. Therefore, the thermal price regulation level increased, the profit on both company and the production did not respond with sensitivity, and the government could encourage a low carbon model by controlling the bank loan rate.

Time-of-use pricing model based on power supply chain for user-side microgrid

The user-side microgrid offers great potential for improving energy efficiency. This flexible and small-scale power system is characterized by multiple types of clean power supplies. The power supply chain can reveal the supply-demand relationships in the series of steps from power generation to consumption. However, electricity prices tend to vary and can significantly affect the actual energy costs to end-users and other entities in the power supply chain. In this study, we propose an optimization model of time-of-use pricing for the user-side microgrid from the perspective of power supply chain management. The objective of this model is to minimize the total cost of the power supply chain and optimize the charging-discharging behaviors of end-users. First, to reduce the impact of demand amplification and variation, we investigated the bullwhip effect of the power supply chain. Then, we considered distributed energy storage as an important component of the user-side microgrid and how electric power companies can utilize pricing strategies to optimize the charging-discharging behaviors of end-users. We performed experiments based on two scenarios that assumed end-users with and without distributed energy storage devices. A comparative analysis of the modelling results indicates that optimal time-of-use pricing can support the charging-discharging behaviors of residential users and reduce the cost of the entire electric power supply chain. The optimized time-of-use price is important for stability, flexibility, and efficiency improvement in both the user-side microgrid and the entire power supply chain.

A SWOT framework for analyzing the electricity supply chain using an integrated AHP methodology combined with fuzzy-TOPSIS

ABSTRACT Supply chain refers to the integrated chain of organizations, loops, persons who are involving in stuff generation and costumer servicing. One of these services is the electricity which can be consumed as domestic, industrial, agriculture and etc. It can be considered that the electric power supply chain network has four stages which are electricity generation, transmission, distribution and consumption. In this paper, a framework of Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) is presented to analysis the electricity supply chain in north-west of Iran. In this regard, some interviews are done with several experts of electricity industry. In addition, an integrated AHP method which is combined with fuzzy-TOPSIS is proposed to prioritize the SWOT factors for the proposed electricity supply chain. The results show that the proposed method can be used effectively in order to determine a strategy plan with high prioritizing for planning and decision-making in electricity supply chain.

Computational Framework for Optimal Carbon Taxes Based on Electric Supply Chain Considering Transmission Constraints and Losses

A modeling and computational framework is presented for the determination of optimal carbon taxes that apply to electric power plants in the context of electric power supply chain with consideration of transmission constraints and losses. In order to achieve this goal, a generalized electric power supply chain network equilibrium model is used. Under deregulation, there are several players in electrical market: generation companies, power suppliers, transmission service providers, and consumers. Each player in this model tries to maximize its own profit and competes with others in a noncooperative manner. The Nash equilibrium conditions of these players in this model form a finite-dimensional variational inequality problem (VIP). By solving this VIP via an extragradient method based on an interior point algorithm, the optimal carbon taxes of power plants can be determined. Numerical examples are provided to analyze the results of the presented modeling.

Modified penalty function method for optimal social welfare of electric power supply chain with transmission constraints

Many power system application problems utilize optimal social welfare model as a decision-making tool. In this paper, we tackle the optimal social welfare problem based on a mathematic modeling framework capable to capture the interactions among decision-makers in an electric power supply chain network with consideration of transmission power flows and constraints which are neglected in previous literature, and present a generalized electric power supply chain network equilibrium model. In this model, each player tries to maximize its own profit and competes with others in a noncooperative manner. The Nash equilibrium conditions of these players form a finite-dimensional variational inequality problem (VIP). A modified penalty function (MPF) method is then used to replace conventional extragradient method for solving VIP by transforming VIP into a nonlinear programming problem. Numerical tests are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the MPF for solving the VIP-based social welfare maximization model in the context of an electric power supply chain network.

Impacts of compressed air energy storage plant on an electricity market with a large renewable energy portfolio

Renewable energy generation is expected to continue to increase globally due to renewable energy targets and obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Some renewable energy sources are variable power sources, for example wind, wave and solar. Energy storage technologies can manage the issues associated with variable renewable generation and align non-dispatchable renewable energy generation with load demands. Energy storage technologies can play different roles in each of the step of the electric power supply chain. Moreover, large scale energy storage systems can act as renewable energy integrators by smoothing the variability. Compressed air energy storage is one such technology. This paper examines the impacts of a compressed air energy storage facility in a pool based wholesale electricity market in a power system with a large renewable energy portfolio.

Optimal Fuel, Power and Load-Based Emissions Trades for Electric Power Supply Chain Equilibrium

This paper proposes a model to determine equilibrium fuel, power, and emissions trades in an electric power supply chain (fuel/generation/transmission/distribution/consumption) framework with a load-based (LB) emissions trading program. The model represents the oligopolistic gaming behavior of generation companies (Gencos) and load serving entities (LSEs), and equilibrium conditions for fuel, power, and emissions allowance markets which are integrated through endogenous prices. The model is solved by using a practical heuristic method based on the Fisher-Burmeister nonlinear complementarity function (NCP) and smoothing technique. An application to a four-node system with three Gencos and LSEs is also presented to illustrate the effects of emission allowances trading, renewable energy generation and network congestion on equilibrium solutions.

Electric Power Supply Chain Management Addressing Climate Change

Supply chain management played a critical role in the electric power industrial chain optimization. The purpose of this paper was to review a sample of the literatures relating to supply chain management and its possible applications in electricity power system, especially in the context of climate change. The study compared the difference between electric power supply chain management and traditional supply chain management. Furthermore, some possible research topics are addressed. The aim of this paper was to promote the application of supply chain management in the China electricity sector optimizations and brought a change in the related government policy options.

An integrated electric power supply chain and fuel market network framework: Theoretical modeling with empirical analysis for New England

AbstractIn this article, we develop a novel electric power supply chain network model with fuel supply markets that captures both the economic network transactions in energy supply markets and the physical network transmission constraints in the electric power network. The theoretical derivation and analysis are done using the theory of variational inequalities. We then apply the model to a specific case, the New England electric power supply chain, consisting of six states, five fuel types, 82 power generators, with a total of 573 generating units, and 10 demand market regions. The empirical case study demonstrates that the regional electric power prices simulated by our model match the actual electricity prices in New England very well. We also compute the electric power prices and the spark spread, an important measure of the power plant profitability, under natural gas and oil price variations. The empirical examples illustrate that in New England, the market/grid‐level fuel competition has become the major factor that affects the influence of the oil price on the natural gas price. Finally, we utilize the model to quantitatively investigate how changes in the demand for electricity influence the electric power and the fuel markets from a regional perspective.The theoretical model can be applied to other regions and multiple electricity markets under deregulation to quantify the interactions in electric power/energy supply chains and their effects on flows and prices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2009

Modeling of Electric Power Supply Chain Networks with Fuel Suppliers via Variational Inequalities

The electric power industry in the United States and in other countries is undergoing profound regulatory and operational changes. The underlying rationale behind these transformations is to move once highly monopolized vertically-integrated industry from a centralized operation approach to a competitive one. The emerging competitive markets and an increase in the number of market participants have, in turn, fundamentally changed not only electricity trading patterns but also the structure of the electric power supply chains. This new framework requires new mathematical and engineering models and associated algorithmic tools. Moreover, the availability of fuels for electric power generation is a topic of both economic importance and national security. This paper uses the model developed by Nagurney and Matsypura (2004, 2006) as the foundation for the introduction of explicit fuel suppliers, in the case of nonrenewable and/or renewable fuels, and their optimizing behavior, into a general electric power supply chain network model along with "direct-supply" generation. We derive the optimality conditions for the various decision-makers, including fuel suppliers, power generators, suppliers, as well as the transmission service providers and the consumers at the demand markets. We establish that the governing equilibrium conditions satisfy a finite-dimensional variational inequality problem. We provide qualitative properties of the equilibrium flow pattern; in particular, existence of a solution and uniqueness under suitable assumptions. Finally, we discuss how the equilibrium fuel supply and electric power flow pattern can be computed.

Dynamic electric power supply chains and transportation networks: An evolutionary variational inequality formulation

In this paper, we develop a static electric power supply chain network equilibrium model with known demands and establish the equivalence between the model and a transportation network equilibrium model with fixed demands over an appropriately constructed supernetwork. This equivalence yields a new interpretation of electric power supply chain network equilibria in path flows. We then exploit this equivalence to propose a dynamic electric power supply chain network model in which the demand varies over time using an evolutionary variational inequality formulation. Finally, we demonstrate how numerical dynamic electric power supply chain network problems can be solved utilizing recently obtained theoretical results in the unification of evolutionary variational inequalities and projected dynamical systems.

Modeling generator power plant portfolios and pollution taxes in electric power supply chain networks: A transportation network equilibrium transformation

Global climate change and fuel security risks have encouraged international and regional adoption of pollution/carbon taxes. A major portion of such policy interventions is directed at the electric power industry with taxes applied according to the type of fuel used by the power generators in their power plants. This paper proposes an electric power supply chain network model that captures the behavior of power generators faced with a portfolio of power plant options and subject to pollution taxes. We demonstrate that this general model can be reformulated as a transportation network equilibrium model with elastic demands and qualitatively analyzed and solved as such. The connections between these two different modeling schemas is done through finite-dimensional variational inequality theory. The numerical examples illustrate how changes in the pollution/carbon taxes affect the equilibrium electric power supply chain network production outputs, the transactions between the various decision-makers the demand market prices, as well as the total amount of carbon emissions generated.

Optimal endogenous carbon taxes for electric power supply chains with power plants

In this paper, we develop a modeling and computational framework that allows for the determination of optimal carbon taxes applied to electric power plants in the context of electric power supply chain (generation/distribution/consumption) networks. The adoption of carbon/pollution taxes both internationally and regionally has been fueled by global climate change and fuel security risks, with a significant portion of such policy interventions directed at the electric power industry. The general framework that we develop allows for three distinct types of carbon taxation environmental policies, beginning with a completely decentralized scheme in which taxes can be applied to each individual power generator/power plant in order to guarantee that each assigned emission bound is not exceeded, to two versions of a centralized scheme, one which assumes a fixed bound over the entire electric power supply chain in terms of total carbon emissions and the other which allows the bound to be a function of the tax. The behavior of the various decision-makers in the electric power supply chain network is described, along with the three taxation schemes, and the governing equilibrium conditions, which are formulated as finite-dimensional variational inequality problems. Twelve numerical examples are presented in which the optimal carbon taxes, as well as the equilibrium electric power flows and demands, are computed. The numerical results demonstrate, as the theory predicts, that the carbon taxes achieve the desired goal, in that the imposed bounds on the carbon emissions are not exceeded. Moreover, they illustrate the spectrum of scenarios that can be explored in terms of changes in the bounds on the carbon emissions; changes in emission factors; changes in the demand price functions, etc.