47. Designing Sustainable Supply Chains for Importing Renewable Energy Carriers
Invited abstract in session FA-9: Renewable gases and supply chains , stream Energy and Sustainability.
Friday, 8:45-10:15Room: H15
Authors (first author is the speaker)
| 1. | Mohammad Zardoshti Zadeh Yadi
|
| Chair of Operations Management, RWTH Aachen University | |
| 2. | Jörn Meyer
|
| Chair of Operations Mangement, RWTH Aachen University | |
| 3. | Grit Walther
|
| School of Business and Economics, Chair of Operations Management, RWTH Aachen University |
Abstract
The transition towards climate neutrality necessitates large-scale production of renewable energy carriers. However, spatial disconnects between renewable energy production in resource-rich regions and utilization in resource-deficit regions require establishing supply networks for long-distance transport of renewable energy carriers (RECs). To ensure the sustainable development of such supply networks, achieving economic viability, environmental efficiency, and energy security is crucial.
We develop a multi-objective, mixed-integer, quadratic optimization model to design a supply network for the import of RECs that incorporates strategic decisions on locations, resource allocation, and infrastructure for conversion, transportation, and reconversion of RECs. We evaluate economic, environmental, and energy security aspects by minimizing the three objective functions of net present cost, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and supply concentration of the REC supply network. The optimization model is implemented in Python and solved using Gurobi’s quadratic solver. To assess the trade-offs between objective functions, we construct the Pareto frontier of non-dominated solutions using the augmented ε-constraint method. We demonstrate the applicability of the model through a case study examining the import of RECs from high-potential renewable energy regions to Europe.
Our results show that, relative to the cost-optimal solution, the concentration-optimal solution results in about 88% lower supply concentration at 194% higher cost, while the GHG-optimal solution results in about 13% lower emissions at 182% higher cost. These trade-offs highlight the importance of balanced solutions for sustainable REC import strategies supporting Europe’s transition to climate neutrality.
Keywords
- Decision Support Systems
- Energy Policy and Planning
- Multi-Objective Programming
Status: accepted
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