AN ALTERNATIVE DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS PARADIGM FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PLANNING IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES: A CASE FOR SYSTEM THINKING / SYSTEM DYNAMICS METHODOLOGY

Abstract

This article proposes an alternative Decision Support Systems (DSS) framework using a System Thinking (ST) andSystem Dynamics (SD) approach for sustainable energy planning in a Developing Economy (DE). Many DE haveundergone dramatic changes in socio-economic policies such liberalisation, finance sourcing and the incorporationof externalities such as the environmental implications of energy projects. The underlying dynamics of SustainableEnergy Development (SED) in the DE reveals their inherent limitations of traditional planning tools such asoptimisation, econometric and general simulation models in guiding future policy decisions. The unsuitability oftraditional tools is rooted in the socio-economic, political and technological differences, as compared to those of thedeveloped nations. DES methodology facilitates the design of policy rules that govern complex decisions bydemonstrating how past policies created the current crises. It enables the modelling of complex energy issues, andenhances understanding of the dominant system characteristics that causes systems’ instability. This article fills animportant gap in the literature by demonstrating the needs for a new modelling framework that permits focusing onthe holistic structure identifiable within energy systems as prevalent in the DE.

Keywords: DSS, Developing, Framework, Energy, Planning, Systems, Sustainable and Methodologies.