1 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TRANSACTIONS Volume 21, 2010 Editor J. J. Klemeš, H. L. Lam, P. S. Varbanov Copyright © 2010, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l., ISBN 978-88-95608-05-1 ISSN 1974-9791 DOI: 10.3303/CET1021001 Please cite this article as: Pistikopoulos E. N., Liu P. and Georgiadis M., (2010), Modelling and optimisation issues of the energy systems of the future, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 21, 1-6 DOI: 10.3303/CET1021001 Modelling and Optimization Issues of the Energy Systems of the Future Efstratios N. Pistikopoulos* 1, Pei Liu 2, Michael C. Georgiadis 3 1 Centre for Process Systems Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK, e.pistikopoulos@ic.ac.uk 2 Department of Thermal Engineering / Tsinghua BP Clean Energy Research and Education Center, Tsinghua University, People’s Republic of China 3 Department of Engineering Informatics, University of Western Macedonia, Greece In this work, we introduce a novel application of an energy systems engineering framework towards the optimal design of such energy systems with improved energy efficiency and environmental performance. The framework features a superstructure representation of the various energy technology alternatives, a mixed-integer optimization formulation of the energy systems design problem, and a multi-objective design optimization solution strategy, where economic and environmental criteria are simultaneously considered and properly traded off. A case study of a supermarket energy systems design is presented to illustrate the key steps and potential of the proposed energy systems engineering approach. 1. Introduction Energy is one of the most critical international issues at the moment and most likely to be so for the years to come. As part of the energy debate, it is becoming gradually accepted that current energy systems, networks encompassing everything from primary energy sources to final energy services, are becoming unsustainable. Driven primarily by concerns over urban air quality, global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on depleting fossil fuel reserves, a transition to alternative energy systems is receiving serious attention. Such a tradition will certainly involve meeting the growing energy demand of the future with greater efficiency as well as using more renewable energy sources (such as wind, solar, biomass, etc.). While many technical options exist for developing a future sustainable and less environmentally damaging energy supply, they are often treated separately driven by their own technical communities and political groups. Energy systems engineering provides a methodological scientific framework to arrive at realistic integrated solutions to the complex energy problems, by adopting a holistic, systems-based approach. This paper demonstrates the potential of an energy systems engineering based approach to systematically quantify different options at different