Nahid Sultana

This study utilized different methods, namely classical multiple linear regression (MLR), statistical approach exponential smoothing (EXPS), and deep learning algorithm long short-term memory (LSTM) to forecast long-term electricity consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The originality of this research lies in (1) specifying exogenous variables that significantly affect electrical consumption; (2) utilizing the Bayesian optimization algorithm (BOA) to develop individual super learner BOA-LSTM models for forecasting the residential and total long-term electric energy consumption; (3) measuring forecasting performances of the proposed super learner models with classical and statistical models, viz. MLR and EXPS, by employing the broadly used evaluation measures regarding the computational efficiency, model accuracy, and generalizability; and finally (4) estimating forthcoming yearly electric energy consumption and validation. Population, gross domestic products, imports, and refined oil products significantly impact residential and total annual electricity consumption. The coefficient of determination (R2) for all the proposed models is greater than 0.93, representing an outstanding fitting of the models with historical data. Moreover, the developed BOA-LSTM models have the best performance with R2>0.99, enhancing the predicting accuracy (Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE)) by 59.6% and 54.8% compared to the MLR and EXPS models, respectively, of total annual electricity consumption. This forecasting accuracy in residential electricity consumption for the BOA-LSTM model is improved by 62.7% and 68.9% compared to the MLR and EXPS models. This study achieved a higher accuracy and consistency of the proposed super learner model in long-term electricity forecasting, which can be utilized in energy strategy management to secure the sustainability of electric energy.