A generic framework for the description and analysis of energy security in an energy system

While many energy security indicators and models have been developed for specific jurisdictions or types of energy, few can be considered sufficiently generic to be applicable to any energy system. This paper presents a framework that attempts to meet this objective by combining the International Energy Agency's definition of energy security with structured systems analysis techniques to create three energy security indicators and a process‐flow energy systems model. The framework is applicable to those energy systems which can be described in terms of processes converting or transporting flows of energy to meet the energy–demand flows from downstream processes. Each process affects the environment and is subject to jurisdictional policies. The framework can be employed to capture the evolution of energy security in an energy system by analyzing the results of indicator‐specific metrics applied to the energy, demand, and environment flows associated with the system's constituent processes. Energy security policies are treated as flows to processes and classified into one of three actions affecting the process's energy demand or the process or its energy input, or both; the outcome is determined by monitoring changes to the indicators. The paper includes a detailed example of an application of the framework.