%0 Journal Article
%T Satisfying the Energy Demand of a Rural Area by Considering the Investment on Renewable Energy Alternatives and Depreciation Costs
%A Masoud Rabbani
%A Yaser Rahimi
%A Seyed Mahmood Kazemi
%A Mehran Samavati
%J Journal of Renewable Energy
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/907592
%X In this paper, a fuzzy multiobjective model which chooses the best mix of renewable energy options and determines the optimal amount of energy to be transferred from each resource to each end use is proposed. The depreciation of equipment along with time value of money has been taken into account in the first objective function while the second and the third objective functions minimize the greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, respectively. Also, this study is one of the pioneer works that has considered demand-side management (DSM) as a competitive option against supply-side alternatives for making apt energy planning decisions. Moreover, the intrinsic uncertainty of demand parameter is considered and modeled by fuzzy numbers. To convert the proposed fuzzy multiobjective formulation to a crisp single-objective formulation the well-known fuzzy goal programming approach together with Jimenez defuzzifying technique is employed. The model is validated through setting up a diversity of datasets whose data were mostly derived from the literature. The obtained results show that DSM programs have greatly contributed to cost reductions in the network. Also, it is concluded that the model is capable of solving even large-scaled instances of problems in negligible central processing unit (CPU) times using Lingo 8.0 software. 1. Introduction Although using renewable energy resources is one of the primary solutions for overcoming poverty and achieving sustainable development, for centuries, the focus has been solely on traditional sources of energy. Nonetheless, there are some difficulties with employing the newly introduced sources of energy such as cultural barriers, lack of proper mentality, and budget estimation difficulties to inhibit the growth of renewable energy in the countryside. Thus, it is imperative for mankind to seek a way for solving such challenges (Kazemi and Rabbani) [1]. Shifting from nonrenewable energies to renewable energy technologies (RETs) should be of the top preferences in the direction toward acquiring a satisfactory energy system. Increasing the penetration of RETs not only contributes to meeting the ongoing increasing energy demand but also decreases the adverse environmental effects of burning fossil fuels. Recent studies offer that renewable energy sources are capable of meeting a remarkable portion of the energy demand even at the current level of technological development. However, as discussed before, this may not occur unless the issues that obstruct the penetration of RETs are properly addressed [2¨C4]. One of the
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jre/2014/907592/