Decision
Support Framework for Developing Regional
Energy Strategies
- Publication date
- Publisher
Abstract
In an effort to reduce “carbon
pollution” as well
as prepare the U.S. for the impacts of climate change, President Obama’s
2013 Climate Action Plan calls for changes to be made to the nation’s
energy system. In addition to focusing on alternative portfolios of
different fuels and power-generation technologies, researchers and
advisory panels have urged that changes to the nation’s energy
system be based on a decision-making framework that incorporates stakeholders
and accounts for real-world resource, supply, and demand constraints.
To date, research and development on such a framework have proven
elusive. The research reported here describes the development and
test of a potential decision support framework that combines elements
from structured decision-making (SDM) with portfolio analysis, methods
that have been used independently to elicit preferences in complex
decision contexts. This hybrid framework aimed to (1) provide necessary
background information to users regarding the development of coupled
climate-energy strategies; (2) account for users’ values and
objectives; (3) allow for the construction of bespoke energy portfolios
bounded by real-world supply and demand constraints; and (4) provide
a more rigorous basis for addressing trade-offs. Results show that
this framework was user-friendly, led to significant increases in
users’ knowledge about energy systems and, importantly, led
to more internally consistent decisions. For these reasons, this framework
may serve as a suitable template for supporting decisions about energy
transitions in the United States and abroad