IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2015 - 32

nations. The selected countries in this work are part
of different social, environmental, political, and economic scenarios. Although the sample of countries is
small, it represents a very heterogeneous and comprehensive group. The implications from the review here
aim to provide an overview of energy planning around
the world.
The strategic energy plan, especially of electrical
energy systems, enters the third millennium with the
challenge to equate economic development with the
use of energy resources. But environmental protection is equally important. In developing countries,
economic growth is considered the key indicator of
successful political guidelines, and the means for
improving the quality of life. In developed countries,
on the other hand, maintaining the quality of life and
social indicators prevail over advancement in economic development. But in poorer countries energy
services represent the potential to meet basic health
needs and poverty eradication.

Supply (production, transmission,
distribution) and the use of energy
is essential in the pursuit of
sustainable development.

The origin of environmental impacts, in seeking
to meet the needs of humans, relates to the extraction, transport, and processing of energy resources
for consumption. The burning of fossil fuels, the main
source of greenhouse gases, reached 76% of the total
primary energy consumed worldwide in 2013 [14].
Over time and geography, expansion in the energy
sector traditionally considered only techno-economic
criteria in the consolidation and implementation of
projects. Systemic environmental and social variables
were relegated to a second palliative stage. Eventually,
however, with damaging impacts of destructive exploitation of natural resources, changes in consumption patterns by populations, population growth, and
human-made effects on the biosphere, new concepts
of energy planning were initiated in response to the
supporting evidence. It is noted that concerns over climate change and energy security are present in most
countries, especially in developing ones. However,
long-term strategies, involving the balance between
optimizing the use of resources and environmental

sustainability, are still in the consolidation phase or
are lacking in action plans or the energy policies of
many nations.

Context of Integrated
Energy Resources Planning
This article presents a comprehensive and coordinated view of energy planning for the energy sector. It considers, for example, external costs during
planning, and includes questions relating to involved
parties and interested parties in electricity generation projects. It examines essential aspects aimed
at integrated resource planning towards sustainable
development. Unconventional factors have been considered in the planning process allowing for the characterization and computation of multiple stakeholder
interests incorporating other perspectives on energy
planning. Currently, concern for the environment is
more evident, not only in science, academia, and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), but also
in government and the media. Examples include
documentaries such as An Inconvenient Truth (Paramount, 2006) and The 11th hour (Warner, 2007),
which were produced to raise awareness of global
public opinion on climate change.
This work uses a substantial multi-criteria basis
through the applicability of Integrated Energy Resources
Planning (IRP) [2]. In this sense, the IRP conveys the
understanding that the supply - production, transmission, distribution - and the use of energy is essential in
the pursuit of sustainable development (SD). There is a
need for a full view (SD, energy, and environment) of the
problem and the evaluation methods that fully considers the techno-economic, environmental, social, and
political aspects [3]. The traditional way of studying and
planning the energy issue needs to be modified. The
approach, methodologies, and techniques for planning
employed by the electricity sector should incorporate
global and particular aspects, emphasizing non-traditional alternatives, while allowing for the joint participation in the process of involved-interested parties. The
IRP approach has in principle the premise that environmental, social, and political impacts are best managed
when addressed in a predictive and non-corrective manner. IRP can be applied in shaping a proposed energy
solution in a given context, or it can identify the need
for prioritizing an alternative as a way of achieving a sustainable approach [12].

Targeting the Electricity Sector
There are variants of the Integrated Resource Planning approach in use in different parts of the world.
For instance, Hu et al. [5] provide a research model
for a decentralized electricity sector, called Integrated

IEEE TEchnology and SocIETy MagazInE

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MARCH 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2015