Accounting for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm Optimization of Water Distribution Systems
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 136, Issue 2
Abstract
Considerable research has been carried out on the optimization of water distribution systems (WDSs) over the last three decades. In previous research, attention has mainly focused on the minimization of cost, due to the high expenditure associated with the construction and maintenance of such systems. However, the impacts of WDSs on the environment usually have not been considered adequately. The recent increasing awareness of sustainability and climate change, especially global warming, has led to research where greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are considered. In the study described in this paper a multiobjective genetic algorithm for WDS optimization has been used as an explorative tool to investigate the trade-offs between the traditional economic objective of minimizing costs and an additional environmental objective of minimizing GHG emissions. The impacts of minimizing GHG emissions on the results of WDS optimization have been explored for a case study in this paper. The results indicate that the inclusion of GHG emission minimization as one of the objectives results in significant trade-offs between the economic and environmental objectives. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis has been conducted by using different discount rates in a present value analysis for computing both ongoing costs and GHG emissions. The results obtained show that the Pareto-optimal front is very sensitive to the discount rates used. As a result, the selection of discount rates has a significant impact on final decision making.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by resources supplied by eResearch SA. The writers also thank the reviewers, including Dr. Tom Walski and the other two anonymous reviewers, for their detailed comments. The paper has been improved as a result.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 136 • Issue 2 • March 2010
Pages: 146 - 155
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 30, 2008
Accepted: Feb 20, 2009
Published online: Mar 27, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2010
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