Decentralized energy planning; modeling and application—a review

Energy planning is carried out at a centralized level using computer-based modeling. The centralized energy planning models and approaches have already been reviewed in literature. Decentralized energy planning (DEP) is a concept of recent origin with limited applications. Literature shows that different models are being developed and used worldwide. This paper gives an overview of different decentralized energy models used worldwide, their approaches and their applications along with a few emerging energy models. The central theme of the energy planning at decentralized level would be to prepare an area-based DEP to meet energy needs and development of alternate energy sources at least-cost to the economy and environment. Ecologically sound development of the region is possible when energy needs are integrated with the environmental concerns at the local and global levels. Taking into account these features, this paper explains the need of DEP and shows how different types of energy planning and optimization models, supply demand models, regional models, resource models and neural models have been carried, adopted and applied at decentralized level.