Modeling energy management sustainability: Smart integrated framework for future trends

Abstract

The sustainability issues of energy management are among the open challenges that lack an integrative sustainable framework and need urgent solutions in the power plants. Extant literature has neither defined energy management sustainability adequately, nor developed any sustainable framework in the power plants. In light of this, the study responds to this research gap through achieving four objectives: (1) To create a coherent research taxonomy with a new scope, (2) To systematically analyze current challenges and future trends, (3) To identify the critical success factors (CSFs) of the energy management system (EMs) in the power plants, and (4) Develop a smart integrated framework to ensure the success and sustainability of EMs in power plants. The methodology is based on two approaches: the theoretical approach through comprehensively systematic literature review (SLR) and establishing a coherent research taxonomy to extract the CSFs. In contrast, the second approach is based on the judgment of technicians and energy experts working in power plants to develop a sustainable framework via a case study in the power plant. The SLR finding was employed with expert judgment to develop a smart model. The IBM-SPSS and PLS-SEM software were utilized to analyze data in the case study. The study was validated using three methods: first, content validity test through the SLR and expert arbitration. Secondly, the construct validity test via composite reliability (CR), Cronbach's alpha (CA), and average variance extracted (AVE). Thirdly discriminant validity test through Fornell and Larcker Criterion. The normality assessment by Skewness and Kurtosis has also been checked. All the results proved the validity and reliability of the integrated framework for sustainable EMs in power plants. The results for CA and CR were above 0.7. and the results of AVE were more than 0.5. The data normality value of skewness and Kurtosis are +/-2. Thus, the case study results indicate that it was acceptable and confirmed the literature results. Also, it confirmed the success of the proposed sustainable framework. The results fulfilled the normative requirements for validity and reliability. This study succeeded in developing a smart and sustainable framework for the future directions of energy management in power plants, which is a novel outcome of this study.