A multiobjective approach to energy environment planning problem

The energy planning problem has gained a new dimension in view of the effects of energy production and consumption on environmental decline and ecological damage. The problem was usually formulated in total cost minimization form and the environmental effects of energy activities were not taken into account. It has been well understood now that decisions concerning energy supply cannot be based on a single objective, since energy policies have multiple consequences which cannot and should not be ignored. Therefore, with this new concern, efforts concentrated on developing energy environment models which recognize the multiobjective characteristics of the problem. In this study, we present the results of an attempt to find a suitable multiobjective approach to the solution of the problem using an integrated energy environment model for Turkey. Variations of weighting techniques employing Tchebycheff normalization procedures are used to produce the multiobjective optimal solutions. A number of results are presented for illustrating the energy policy and modeling issues.