Computational Management Science Special Issue on 'Optimisation methods and applications in the energy sector'

摘要

Historically state regulated, many industries within the energy sector, e.g., electricity and natural gas, have been gradually liberalised over the past three decades in an effort to improve economic efficiency (Wilson 2002). Instead of a vertically integrated paradigm with regulated monopolies that controlled both production and retail interests, decision makers within the energy sector must now cope with uncertain prices and competition from rivals. Exposure to such market forces was thought to encourage firms and consumers to foster technological innovation and to undertake efficiency investments, respectively. However, the transition towards a deregulated energy sector also meant that conventional, single-agent models for supporting investment and operational decisions may no longer be adequate. Indeed, in a survey of modelling tools for the electric power industry, Hobbs (1995) foresaw the need for a better representation of uncertainty and strategic interactions.