LAUSR

Accurate forecasts of natural gas demand can be essential for utilities, energy traders, regulatory authorities, decision makers and others. The aim of this paper is to test the robustness of a novel hybrid computational intelligence model in day-ahead natural gas demand predictions. The proposed model combines the Wavelet Transform (WT), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN). The WT is used to decompose the original signal in a set of subseries and then a GA optimized ANFIS is employed to provide the forecast for each subseries. ANFIS output is fed into a FFNN to refine the initial forecast and upgrade the overall forecasting accuracy. The model is applied to all distribution points that compose the natural gas grid of a country, in contradiction to the majority of the literature that focuses on a limited number of distribution points. This approach enables the comparison of the model performance on different consumption patterns, providing also insights on the characteristics of large urban centers, small towns, industrial areas, power generation units, public transport filling stations and others.