An interval full-infinite programming approach for energy systems planning under multiple uncertainties

An interval full-infinite programming regional energy model (IFIP-REM) is developed in this study for supporting energy systems management under uncertainty. IFIP-REM integrates full-infinite programming (FIP) into an interval linear programming (ILP) framework. The IFIP is capable of addressing multiple uncertainties existing in related costs, impact factors and system objectives (expressed as determinates, crisp interval values and functional intervals). The modeling approach inherits the advantages of ILP and FIP, and allows uncertainties and decision-makers’ aspirations to be directly communicated into the optimization process and resulting solutions. The developed method is applied to an energy planning system, where pollutant emissions are desired to be controlled. The results indicate that reasonable solutions can be generated and used to support the obtained interval solutions of IFIP-REM model, and the solutions can be used for generating decision alternatives and thus help decision makers identify desired policies under various economic and system constraints to coordinate the conflict interactions among economic cost, system efficiency, pollutant mitigation and energy-supply security.