Economic dispatch optimization of multi-water resources: A case study of an Island in South Korea

Abstract

Ensuring stable and continuous water supplies in isolated but populated areas, such as islands, where the water supply is highly dependent on external factors, is crucial. Sudden loss of function in the water supply system can have enormous social costs. To strengthen water security and to meet multiple water demands with marginal quality, the optimized selection of locally available, diversified multi-water resources is necessary. This study considers a sustainable water supply problem of Yeongjong Island, 30 km west from Seoul, South Korea. The self-sufficiency of several locally available water resources is calculated for four different scenarios based on the volume and quality of the various water sources. Our optimization results show that using all the available local sources can address the water security issues of the island in the case of interruption in the existing supply system, which is fed from a single source of mainland Korea. This optimization framework can be useful for areas where water must be secured in the event of emergency.