Many-Objective Direct Policy Search in the Dez and Karoun Multireservoir System, Iran

In this study we propose a novel approach to design Pareto-optimal operating policies via many-objective direct policy search in the Dez and Karoun multireservoir system (Iran), where the dimension of the system, the dry climate, and the presence of competing demands pose challenges to water planners and managers. The three power plants connected to the main reservoirs in the modeled system (i.e., Dez, Karoun, and Masjed Soleyman) account for 20% of national hydropower-generation capacity. Irrigation and domestic supply, especially to the city of Ahwaz, are also strategic objectives, along with flood protection downstream of the dams. Given the complexity of the Dez and Karoun system and the multiple interests involved, the design of Pareto-optimal operating policies via many-objective direct policy search, combined with their a posteriori evaluation, represents an effective tool to support sustainable water reservoirs management in Iran. Our preliminary results show that the proposed decision analytic framework allowed the identification of the set of Pareto-optimal policies and discovered key tradeoffs to eventually aid the selection of few candidate compromise solutions that balance competing objectives.