Modeling the Power Sector of Wonderland: an integrated system dynamics model to assess a sustainable regional development

In a modern world, energy poverty limits opportunities and widens the gap between the rich and the poor. Thus, a broad understanding of the underlying mechanisms that relate to the lack of energy access to the regional economy, demography, and environment is crucial for the deployment of interventions aimed to eradicate extreme poverty. Some mathematical models have been proposed to analyze the power sector’s response to the growing energy demand and the increase in the number of distributed renewable energy generation units. However, they fail in assessing the impacts of such changes in a wider field of view, including the interactions between (a reliable) energy access and population growth, economic output, income, and the quality level of the environment. This work proposes a system dynamics model combining both perspectives that, by extending the Wonderland model and based on its equations and dynamics, permits the visual simulation of multiple regions and public policies or interventions. The proposed model is tested in a multi-country case study. In simulations, large time-scales were used to portray the effects of changes upon future generations.