Optimal Design of Renewable Energy Supply Chains Under Uncertainty

The adoption of renewable energy supply chains (RESCs) is growing across the world as an effective way to reduce the environmental impact associated with fossil fuel consumption. A recent trend is extending renewable sources of energy in the supply chain context between residential and industrial users. However, further research is needed to provide insight to residential and industrial users, in particular, for small and medium-sized users due to lack of their access to expertise and research funding. The long-term objective of this independent research program is to develop a comprehensive framework to direct stakeholders in the Canadian energy sector through a transition to sustainable energy sources. This research program is crucial for Canada due to a large number of small and medium-sized energy users (SMUs) living in rural and far away communities. In particular, we need a Canadian solution for sustainable energy consumption that considers the environment, business, culture, and available energy resources, which is polished through reviewing and benchmarking other nation's experiences. Over the next 5 years, 3 interrelated short-term objectives will be pursued to support the long-term objective: (1) Develop a framework to evaluate the feasibility of developing RESCs for SMUs, (2) Develop a framework and models to optimize the RESCs under uncertainty, and (3) Develop a framework and models for implementing "sharing economy" in RESCs. Objective 1 will focus on developing an analytical framework to study the feasibility of the application of RESC in Canada for small and medium-sized energy users. Within this objective, a model will be developed for an optimal mix of renewable energy sources in different geographical, size, and energy-profile settings. Objective 2 will investigate a set of uncertainties related to the RESCs. Moreover, different stakeholders of the supply chain will be investigated to identify individual attitudes and interests in implementing RESCs. Objective 3 will review challenges and opportunities to implement the sharing economy in RESCs. As a result, the values created by implementing sharing economy are quantified using mathematical modeling. The outcomes of the modeling will provide a basis for developing guidance for policy-makers looking to identify different pathways towards sustainability in shared RESCs. The reviewed framework and models for each objective will be validated by applying to real-world cases (i.e., industrial and residential partners). The focus will be on understudied renewable sources of energy such as energy symbiosis. This research involves undergraduate and graduate students to increase the number of highly qualified personnel (HQP) in a research area that is very important for Canada and countries across the world. Collectively, this research program will facilitate the transition towards sustainable energy supply chains and the reduction of environmental impact for the next generations.