A NOVEL AND GENERIC METHOD FOR EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENERGY SECURITY AND DIVERSITY OF AN ENERGY SYSTEM

Abstract

In an energy system, diversity of supply—that is, reliance on a variety of mutually disparate energy suppliers and their energy supplies—is seen by many researchers and policymakers as an important component of energy security. This thesis describes a novel and generic method for examining the relationship between energy security (as represented by an energy-security index derived from a set of energy security indicators) and diversity (as defined by the Shannon-Wiener diversity index) of an energy system, its entities, and flows. While diversity is often presented by policy makers as being essential to maintaining or improving the energy security of an energy system, the thesis employs the equations associated with the two indices to show that a diverse supply need not be secure and a secure supply need not be diverse. Several examples of the relationship and the events that can affect it are also provided.